Persona 4: Last Days
by Legal Assasin
Summary: When the unthinkable happens, the Investigation team goes on high alert. As they wait for the killer to strike, Yosuke tries to figure out his feelings torward his partner and the meaning of "Today might be your last." Seta/Hana, Chi/Yuki
1. Prologue: Countdown

**Title: **_"Last Days"_

**Author: **Agony-Howl

**Summary: **When the unthinkable happens, the Investigation team is on high alert. As they prepare for the killer to strike again, Yosuke tries to make sense of what he's feeling towards his partner and what he meant by "Today may be your last."

**Pairings: **SetaHana, with Chi/Yuki on the side. Stop reading and thinking about flaming me if you don't like it.

**Disclaimer: **Persona 4 would be a crappy game if I owned it so rejoice-I don't.

**Rating: **T-oddly tame for a story based on an "M" rated game.

**WARNING!!! **If you didn't read the pairings, this story contains shonen-ai and shojo-ai. Also, there may or may not be possible spoilers depending on where you are in the game. (This takes place after Naoto's dungeon).

**Before I begin…** WOOT! I beat Persona 4! True ending first time!

Anyways, this story was sparked by two certain things. One was a discussion with a friend of mine, who is also a Persona addict and who got me into the series in the first place. (Though this is the only one I've played-so please don't talk hard core about the previous games). I won't reveal what it was since I want it to be a surprise, but I promise it will be revealed in this chapter.

The second was one of Nickelback's new songs, "If Today Was Your Last Day." I fell in love with both the music and the meaning the moment I heard it. There will be snippets of the lyrics every chapter, just an FYI.

Now, onward!

**&**

_It took him five seconds to realize what had happened._

_His gaze slowly traveled down. The lance's sharp point was embedded in his chest. A sickly purple fluid dripped from the base into the wound. It burned when the substance made contact with the wound._

_The weapon was torn out of his body mercilessly, but he was too shocked to cry out in pain. His legs collapsed under his weight as he fell to the hard ground. His surroundings began to blur and darken, though he could make out familiar shapes moving towards him and a voice-__**his**__ voice calling out his name._

'_Not until I tell him.'_

_-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------__**+0+**__-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------__"Prologue: Countdown"__--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Two Weeks Earlier, Evening: October 10, 2011

Today was not a good day for Yosuke Hanamura. First, he was worn out from exploring the TV world with his friends. They had gotten done beating a particularly strong Shadow they found in the dungeon Naoto Shirogane, their newest member, was in when she was kidnapped. However, he was used to that.

It was when they got out that things went bad. Apparently someone was so mad about Junes stealing business from the shopping district they had decided to vandalize part of the electronics department when they thought no one was looking. Unfortunately for them, one of the workers caught them and called the police. And unfortunately for the investigation team, this meant that the media would want part of the story. Or, rather it was unfortunate for the music loving teen-seeing as he had a connection with the department store. He had managed to get away from the news-hungry reporters and cameramen…only to find out that the light shower promised by the weather forecast that day had turned into buckets of water being seemingly poured down from the heavens.

Yosuke made a mad dash for his house with Teddie, a bear mascot who was also an inhabitant of the TV world, so he wouldn't get as soaked while avoiding anyone who looked like they had anything to do with the news. Before they did, however, Teddie had to get out of his bear suit so that running wouldn't be as hard for him. While he was changing, the brunette hid from the reporters still looking for news. The results?

One, he was worn out not only from exploring and fighting Shadows, but also from running half a mile through heavy rain.

Two, he was soaked to the bone from all the water being poured on him and was freezing.

And three, the possibility of being hounded for input on a story to get everyone's attention until there was more news on the serial killer hung over his head like the dark clouds outside.

Put it all together and you got a concoction for grumpiness that could make even the cheeriest person in the world snap and murder everyone around them with a butter knife, laughing maniacally all the while.

Or, at least that's what Yosuke figured-he may have been exaggerating it a bit. But he was in a bad mood. All he wanted was a hot shower and an early night.

After a quick shower, he changed into pajamas, crawled into bed, and within five minutes he was asleep. He didn't see the TV slowly flicker to life, despite not being turned on. And he didn't see the figure that appeared on it.

**&**

Early Morning: October 11, 2011

"Just what did I do to get on your bad side?" Yosuke muttered as he ran, not expecting an answer from the entity who decided to make the brunette their whipping boy. The power in the Hanamura household had gone out in the middle of the night and went back on sometime in the morning. Since his alarm clock ran on electricity from the house, it had reset itself during the night and didn't go off when it was supposed to. And Teddie kept trying to talk to him while he was throwing his uniform on and grabbing something to eat while running. He seemed excited about something…

So now, he had to once again make a mad dash if he wanted to get to school on time. Thankfully, Yasogami High wasn't too far away now. Yosuke checked his watch and would have sighed with relief if he hadn't been running. Apparently the entity mentioned before decided to no longer torture him anymore-he had arrived with five minutes to spare.

The teen slipped into the classroom seconds before the bell rang. As he did, he noticed the members of the investigation team in the room give him odd stares. Chie Satonaka, a girl with a love for kung-fu, looked…worried? It was the same look she wore when her best friend, Yukiko Amagi, had gone missing months ago. Was she taken again?

'No.' Yosuke thought, spotting the black haired girl in front of Chie. Maybe it's something going on with Yukiko?

He felt a tap on the shoulder and turned to the person who had done it. The leader of the group, Souji Seta, had a look of concern on his face. While Ms. Kashiwagi was reminding everyone of the midterm exams coming up in a few days, the silver haired teen whispered "Meet up on the roof at lunch." Yosuke nodded in affirmation, though he didn't know what was going on. Slowly, however, he remembered that it had rained last night. 'Damn! That's what it's about!' he cursed silently. 'Someone must have shown up on the Midnight Channel.' No use worrying about it now. All he could do was wait and see.

**&**

Lunchtime

The morning classes seemed to drag on through the day at a painfully slow pace. It seemed to go even slower for Yosuke-the worried looks on his friends' faces seemed to imprint themselves into his brain. Especially Souji's.

Maybe it was because he didn't seem to get frustrated or uneasy when it came to rescuing victims from the TV-the group had plenty of time to rescue the people there and they managed to get them out with plenty of time to spare or maybe he just knew that a cool head was what was needed in situations like these.

The only time Yosuke had seen his friend so worried was when Nanako, his seven year-old cousin, had run off in the night after a small fight with her father, Ryotaro Dojima. 'Maybe because he didn't know the other victims too well.' He realized. 'We never really got to know them until after they were saved. So maybe this time it's someone he knows…someone everyone else knows.' That would explain why everyone was so worried. And why Teddie seemed so excited-now that the teen thought about it, the blond must have been trying to tell him about the person who had shown up on the Midnight Channel.

A bell announcing the lunch period broke into Yosuke's thoughts. He remembered what Souji had told him and made his way up to the roof. The rest of the investigation team save Teddie-since he didn't attend Yasogami High-was waiting for him. Souji, Chie, and Yukiko were there; as were Kanji Tatsumi, a gangster-looking first-year who was different from how he appeared, Rise "Risette" Kujikawa, a former idol taking a hiatus in Inaba, and Naoto. All of them went silent as he approached. 'Maybe they know I didn't watch the Midnight Channel last night.' He thought glumly. Up until this point, he had never failed to check the TV when it was raining. To have not done so was-

"So, Yosuke-Senpai." Kanji began, a hint of unease in his casual tone. "The Midnight Channel-"

"About that…" Yosuke said, trailing off. "I…I didn't watch it last night."

The group stared at him. So they didn't know about that. It made sense-he was almost always the first to call Souji after watching it, and he was the only one in the group who had a personal connection with one of the victims.

"I see…so that's why you don't look panicked." Naoto murmured quietly. "Because you didn't know-"

"Didn't know what?" Yosuke asked, now getting annoyed with everyone for avoiding the subject. "Damn it, I know I messed up and I don't have any excuses, but that was only one time! So stop going in circles!"

"We're trying to tell you!" Rise spoke up. "So stop interrupting and let us explain!"

The brunette took a deep breath, then let it out. "Sorry," he finally said once he calmed down. "With the way all of you were acting today, I guessed that this was serious and I wanted to know what was going on."

"Well…" Chie trailed off. "You could say that it's serious…I mean, this is the first time the killer targeted-"

"So it's someone we know!" Yosuke exclaimed before remembering he was supposed to let the group explain. "Is it?"

"Yes, it is." Yukiko answered this time. She looked uncomfortable, like she didn't want to be the one to give the bad news. "The person who showed up was…was…" she looked away.

The teen was starting to get a bad feeling now. 'Wait a minute!' he thought. 'Everyone is acting around this like me, so that means that it must be someone I'm close to. But who?'

It was Souji who spoke this time. And even though it wouldn't change what was to come, it still almost seemed like it was his words that would change everything. "Yosuke, the person who showed up on the Midnight Channel was you."

**&**

Yup! That's right-what my friend and I were discussing was "what if a member of the Investigation Team got targeted?" Naturally, since what we discussed involves what everyone would do I can't talk about what we thought of.

The story really starts up in the next chapter, which I am working on along with the fourth chapter of "TRHS." (I have writer's block on that one, so it may take me awhile.) So until then see ya later!


	2. Ignition

**Title: **_"Last Days"_

**Author: **Agony-Howl

**Summary: **When the unthinkable happens, the Investigation team is on high alert. As they prepare for the killer to strike again, Yosuke tries to make sense of what he's feeling towards his partner and something he said.

**Pairings: **SetaHana, with Chi/Yuki on the side. Stop reading and thinking about flaming me if you don't like it.

**Disclaimer: **Persona 4 would be a crappy game if I owned it so rejoice-I don't.

**Rating: **T-oddly tame for a story based on an "M" rated game.

**WARNING!!! **If you didn't read the pairings, this story contains shonen-ai and shojo-ai. Also, there may or may not be possible spoilers depending on where you are in the game. (This takes place after Naoto's dungeon).

**Before I begin…**Since I still haven't gotten many ideas for "TRHS," I'm working more on this story until I get some.

BTW, events from the Magician social link are going to be used in the story. Since this isn't like the game, they'll be used mostly to progress the relationship between Souji and Yosuke. And two might come up in the same day. Just an FYI.

Now onward!

**&**

_My best friend gave me the best advice  
__He said each day's a gift and not a given right  
__Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind  
__And try to take the path less traveled by  
__That first step you take is the longest stride…_

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------__**+0+**__-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_----------------------------------------------------------------------__"Countdown"__---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Yosuke stared at Souji with disbelief. "I-I'm the next target?" he asked, voice cracking. "That…that can't be right…why…"

"You do fit the trend so far." Naoto pointed out. "All of the killer's targets showed up on TV before they appeared on the Midnight Channel. Yesterday, there were newsmen covering the vandalism that occurred at Junes. And even though you did not stay long enough for them to get anything from you, you were nonetheless still in front of the cameras."

"And maybe the killer doesn't know who exactly is helping his victims." Yukiko added. "So he might figure you'll be the same."

"Or he may know and will want to get you out of the way." Naoto deduced.

"Is that really important?" Chie asked. "I mean, either way the killer will still target Yosuke."

"But if the killer knows he is part of the team, he will be more careful around him." The detective argued. "And he may make sure to take away anything that might help him while in that world."

"Hold on a second!" Yosuke broke in. "How do we know for a fact that I showed up on the Midnight Channel? It could have been someone else."

Souji shook his head. "It was definitely you-even with the blurry image I could recognize you. If you think otherwise, than watch it again tonight-the forecast said it would rain tonight."

"I will-and I won't see me on it!" The brunette stated firmly before he left to find his own area to eat lunch.

**&**

Evening

Once again, time seemed to slow to a crawl as Yosuke waited for midnight to come. When he came home, Teddie had come up and told him about what had happened the night before. After assuring the bear mascot that he didn't appear on the Midnight Channel, he had headed back to his room. The rain pelted against his window as the clock ticked closer and closer to-

Midnight.

The TV flickered to life on its own while brown eyes widened. It wasn't the action that surprised him-he had seen this happen countless times while searching for the murderer. This was nothing new.

Neither was the image.

The figure stood in front of the screen, arms folded. They were definitely male and were wearing the Yasogami High uniform. Brown hair seemed to grow away from the figure's head and there was something over their ears and curving over their head. At one point the figure began to gesture like they were talking.

Like Yosuke did when he was talking with his friends.

"I…I…" the teen chocked out as the image faded away. "Damn it, I really am the next target."

**&**

The Next Day, After School: October 12, 2011

The meeting place for the Investigation team was an ironic one. Whenever Yosuke had thought of the word "headquarters," he always imagined something secretive and hidden. The Junes food court was neither-all kinds of people gathered either for a bite to eat or for a rest from shopping.

Yet where they sat had a sort of nostalgic importance to it. Where they sat was also where Souji, Yosuke, and Chie sat months ago when they decided to try the rumor about the Midnight Channel. This event led to Souji's discovery of his ability to go inside the TV and later Yosuke's assumption that people who showed up on the program died when the fog came.

Maybe that was why they gathered here. Or maybe it was because it was close to the electronics department and no one found a group of teenagers gathering at one table stranger than a group of teenagers sneaking around whispering in secret code-even if the former group wore school uniforms on holidays.

"So…" Rise began. "We were right about Yosuke-Senpai being the next target."

"And so, we should expect the killer to strike in the next few days. In that case, we will have to be prepared for what will come." Naoto turned to Yosuke. "Since we cannot be too careful, we must assume that the killer knows that you are one of the people foiling his murder attempts and expects you to fight back."

"That, and we have to be ready to catch him in the act." Yosuke spoke up. "If I'm the target this time, then we have the advantage of knowing he's coming. And thanks to Naoto, we also know how he'll strike."

"Yosuke, I don't like the way you're talking…" Chie said cautiously. "It almost sounds like you're going to use this as an opportunity to catch the killer."

"Better not be planning that!" Kanji sounded like he was threatening the older male. But after Naoto had seemingly set herself up as bait when she was kidnapped, no one could blame him for being jumpy on the subject. "If you even think about trying to lure the killer so you can catch him in the act, I'll-"

"I'm NOT going to lure him!" Yosuke protested. "I'm just saying that since he's targeting me next and I know he's coming, we might be able to catch him."

"Well, that does help out a little…" Yukiko admitted. "While making sure he doesn't kidnap Yosuke-kun, we might be able to find out more about him. Or even catch him in the act."

"So what's the plan, Leader?" Chie asked Souji. No one had to ask her to know why she was changing the subject all of the sudden.

The silver haired teen was quiet for a moment as he thought. "We'll keep an eye out like we always do." He announced. "Teddie is staying with Yosuke, so there's someone keeping an eye on him at home. I doubt the killer will try to kidnap him with everyone watching, so school and Junes should be safe too."

"But what if he does get thrown in?" Teddie asked. "The Shadows don't normally attack people unless the fog lifts, but since they're hostile towards you guys they won't just leave him alone."

"Then like Naoto mentioned, we can't be too careful." Souji turned to Yosuke. "Keep your glasses and kunai on you at all times. If you do get thrown in, you'll at least have the means to defend yourself until we come get you."

"And try not to get kidnapped during midterms!" Chie added. "I don't wanna fail because I was saving your hide!"

Yosuke glared at Chie. "Wow, thanks Chie-I feel really safe now!" he said sarcastically. The kung-fu obsessed girl grinned back. The dark clouds that seemed to have hung over the group seemed to have disappeared as they chatted about miscellaneous things. Even if they were thinking about the murder case in the back of their heads, everyone was willing to forget about it for a few minutes until they left to go home.

After Chie and Yukiko left together, it was just Yosuke and Souji left. The two of them had gotten something to eat and were talking casually. "You know, hanging out with you here every so often isn't that bad." The brunette spoke up. "Even if we're short on cash we can get a little discount here. Though there's a small price to pay for that…"

"Oh, there you are, Hanamura!" A girl's voice called out.

Yosuke groaned. "For example…" he stood up as two gaudily dressed girls walked in. They looked like they were third-years. "Hello there, Senpai. What's wrong today?" Nonetheless, he managed to use a courteous tone.

"You better say something to that blockhead manager!" One of the girls snapped. "I told him I can't come in on Saturdays or Sundays. But he's saying I need to be here since we're low on staff. And if I don't, he'll fire me!"

"Isn't there some kind of law against that?!" Her friend complained.

"Er, but…Didn't you guys say you could work weekends during your interviews?" Yosuke asked.

"Well, yeah. They wouldn't hire us if we didn't!" The first girl said, as if answering a stupid question.

Yosuke sighed in defeat. "Alright, I got it. I'll try talking with him…" he promised. "But you don't want to get fired, right? It'd make it easier for me to strike a deal if you could show up every now and then on weekends…"

"…We'll think about it." The girl said, though she didn't sound convincing.

"You'd better do it, 'kay?" Her friend spoke before the two of them left. Almost as soon as they did, another employee came up to Yosuke with a complaint about the head butcher. After a quick apology to Souji, he went with her to talk about it. After a few minutes he came back, disgruntled.

"Phew, I'm beat…I'm not the complaints department…" he huffed.

"You're incredible." Souji said. "I wouldn't be able to handle all those complaints."

"Huh? Dude, it's nothing but trouble!" Yosuke's cheerful mood returned. "Besides, I wouldn't peg you as the type to get frustrated with people complaining to you."

He sighed. "Geez, everyone's trying to take advantage of me as the Junes kid. Maybe I wouldn't mind if I was free, but we have the murders to deal with. I don't have time for this. Can the police really handle the killer? Can the law really convict whoever's behind this…?" He shook his head. "Once I started worrying about that stuff, I knew I couldn't bother with anything else. I have to do what I can…"

"Just don't do anything too rash." Souji warned. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"What makes you think I'm going to do something stupid?" Yosuke protested. "First Chie thinks I'll use myself as bait, and now you're telling me to not jump into anything!"

"I'm just making sure…" Souji calmed him down.

Yosuke laughed humorlessly. "I never thought I'd talk about serious stuff like this…Before I moved here, it was all small talk…Stupid, trivial things. I thought that was fine. It's only with you guys that I talk seriously like this. I dunno why, but I feel like I don't have to lie-especially with you. You've seen the worst of me and all. But…if someone had to see that, I'm glad it was you." He smiled. "It's a bit late now, but…thanks for going in with me that time."

"No need." Souji replied. "I'm just glad that both of us got out of that alright."

Silence stretched between them. "Hey, Yosuke…" Souji trailed off, averting his gaze.

The brunette looked at his silver haired friend with confusion. Up until now, he had never talked or acted like this. "Souji? Is something wrong?" he asked.

"…No. Nothing's wrong." Souji replied. "I just have a question…"

"Oh, that's it? What do you need to know?"

"What if today might be your last?"

Brown eyes widened. "W-What? What is that supposed to mean?"

**Pi Pi Pi Pi Pi Pi Pi**

"Hold on a sec…" Souji pulled out his cell phone. "Hello? …Okay, got it. I'll be over there soon." He put it away. "I have to go-I have a shift at the hospital tonight."

"Oh, alright." Yosuke said. "Well, see you tomorrow." As the two parted, he felt a strange weight on his chest. Part of him wished that Souji had stayed longer-though he told himself it was because he wanted an explanation of what he had just told him.

**&**

Wow…I didn't think I would update this quickly.

Apparently, my muse can be very choosy when it comes to which stories she wants to work on. I still haven't gotten any ideas for "TRHS," but ideas for this story are pouring in.

Well, I'll still try to work on "TRHS!" I won't blow it off like I did with the third chapter!

Sayonara!


	3. Restriction

**Title: **_"Last Days"_

**Author: **Agony-Howl

**Summary: **When the unthinkable happens, the Investigation team is on high alert. As they prepare for the killer to strike, Yosuke tries to figure out his feelings towards his partner and what he meant by "Today may be your last."

**Pairings: **Seta/Hana with Chi/Yuki on the sidelines. If you don't like it, use the magic "back" button.

**Disclaimer: **I wouldn't be writing fanfiction if I owned Persona 4.

**Rating: **T-oddly tame

**WARNING!!! **There will be shonen-ai and shojo-ai. So if you don't like it, then don't read or flame me!

**Before I begin…** This chapter is a milestone in my fanfiction career; the first time I've ever written shojo-ai. For some reason, I find it easier to right guyXguy stuff than girlXgirl stuff-maybe because I'm more butch than feminine. The scene might be short and not too romantic, but keep in mind it's my first time. And if I improve enough, I might write a one-shot or even a full-length story. So constructive criticism is highly appreciated.

Now let us continue!

**&**

…_If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late  
__Could you say good-bye to yesterday?  
__Would you live each moment like your last,  
__Leave old pictures in the past?  
__Donate every dime you had, if today was your last day?..._

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------__**+0+**__-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_---------------------------------------------------------------------------_"Restriction"_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Evening

"Who was Ferdinand Magellan again?" Chie asked. She and Yukiko were in the living room of the Satonaka household, books scattered on the floor. The two of them were making an attempt to study for the upcoming midterms; or, more of Chie was trying. But it almost seemed like her brain would refuse to hold any information it was given.

"He was the first person to circle the globe, remember?" Yukiko explained patiently.

"Oh, alright I think I got it…" Chie paused. "…no, I don't. It pretty much went in one ear and out the other."

Silence.

"Chie."

"Hmm? Do you need something, Yukiko? If you're getting hungry, I could go get some ramen."

The dark haired girl shook her head. "No, I'm fine. But I was thinking, you don't seem to remember the material just by reading over it again and again. So what if we try something else?" she suggested.

"Like what?"

"Well, you know how some students quiz each other on the information?" Yukiko asked. "I was thinking we could do something like that, but add a little twist to it…"

"A…twist?" Now Chie was starting to get interested.

"I'll ask you a question, and you try to answer it correctly. If you get it right, I'll give you something special. But if you get it wrong, you have to answer two questions right to get it. And if you get the question after it wrong, than you have to answer three right. Will that work?"

"That depends on what the 'special something' is." Chie commented.

Yukiko smiled. "It's a surprise. Get a question right and you'll find out. But I promise you'll love it."

Now the short-haired girl was hooked. "Alright then! Fire away the first question!"

"First, read over the notes." Yukiko reminded her. "You can't start without preparing yourself."

"I guess that's true…"Chie murmured before she started reading over the notes. Except this time her curiosity and anticipation of whatever may come seemed to help her retain more information than normal. After fifteen minutes, the quizzing began.

"What is a hyperbole?" Yukiko asked.

"Hmm…hyperbole…hyperbole…" Chie rubbed her head, trying to remember something about the term. "What was it again…Hey, there's no time limit, right?"

"No-you can take as long as you want to answer the question." Yukiko replied.

"Whew, that's good to know. Hold on-I think I got it! It's something that's really exaggerated, like 'I'm so hungry I can eat a horse!' Is that right?"

"It is." Yukiko smiled. "Now, close your eyes…"

Chie's eyelids went down, though she was a bit confused as to why she had to do this. 'What is Yukiko planning?' she wondered. 'If she wants to help me study, it can't be something bad, at least.'

Something soft touched her lips. Chie opened her eyes and found her friend's face close to her own. When Yukiko drew back, she asked. "So, how did you like it?"

Chie grinned. "I think I'm more pumped up now!" she said. "Ready for the next question!"

"Alright, then. What pigment makes salmon red?"

**&**

Meanwhile

"What a day…" Yosuke muttered as he flopped on to his futon. After parting ways with Souji, he had made his way home with some difficulty. He kept jumping at any sound that was made, thinking that the killer was going to strike. Even when he told himself that no one in their right mind would pull off a kidnapping in front of witnesses, his body still reacted to anything that it perceived as a threat.

Even though he felt tired, the brunette couldn't get himself to fall asleep. Studying didn't help him at all when he did it on his own, and since Teddie didn't know any of the material he was no help. 'Maybe I'll ask Souji to help me…' he thought. But when he started thinking of the silver haired teen, he recalled the look of concern his friend wore when he found out he was going to be targeted next. Although he kept telling himself it was because this was the first time one of the Investigation team members was picked as the next victim, Yosuke couldn't help but think that it might have been something else.

"Damn it, why am I thinking stuff like this?!" he huffed. "We're both guys who are into girls! Kanji's the one who's supposed to have thoughts like this, not me!" He was probably just tired. A good night's rest was what he needed-that would clear his head. Laying on the futon, he closed his eyes and slowly drifted away from the real world…

…_his eyes opened on their own accord. Fog surrounded him, making it hard to see anything around him. However, he could make out a figure in the distance. As he tried to see who the person was, it was like the image became clearer. Brown eyes widened as they recognized who the person was._

_Souji Seta._

_He was standing with his back to Yosuke, as if deciding what to do. Then, he began to walk forward. Dread clenched the brunette's heart-his intuition was telling him that if his friend went farther into the fog, he would never be seen again._

_Yosuke tried to run forward, tried to call out for him to stop. But he found that his feet were firmly rooted to the ground and no sound would come out of his mouth. All he could do was watch and pray that Souji would realize what awaited him and would stop._

_Yet the silver haired teen kept walking forward, never looking back. He became a black shape as he went farther into the fog, then slowly faded away until all that was left was fog._

Brown eyes snapped open. His body was covered with a cold sweat. Taking a few deep breaths, Yosuke tried to calm himself down without success. The nightmare had been one of the most horrifying experiences after facing his Shadow. It wouldn't have been as bad if it was something sudden, like something popping out of nowhere and attacking him-he was use to that after spending time in the TV world. But the feeling of utter helplessness, of not being able to do anything as his best friend disappeared into the fog…

'I never want to be like that…'

**&**

Lunchtime: October 13, 2011

As soon as he spotted Souji, Yosuke made his way over to him. "Hey, Souji! My buddy, my pal!" he grinned.

Souji turned to the brunette. "Alright, Yosuke. What do you need?"

He sighed. "There's a sale going on at Junes, and my Dad asked me to find people to help out. I know midterms are coming up and you'd rather study, but after work I could-"

"I'll be there." Souji cut him off. "After school, right?"

"Umm…right. See you then." He walked off, his heart thumping against his chest. He couldn't explain what the feeling was. It wasn't pounding, but it was harder than normal-and it was almost like how he felt around Saki Konishi, a third-year he thought he had been close to. 'Could it be because I'm around…NO!' he shook his head angrily, as if that would get the thought out of his head. 'Try thinking about something else!' But as much as he tried, he couldn't get his partner out of his thoughts.

**&**

After School

Souji and Yosuke had finished up work and were now taking a break in the food court. "Phew, I'm dead tired…" the brunette muttered. "They decided on a sale at the last minute and Dad was bugging me to find helpers. I told him I didn't have time for that, but he wasn't listening." He smiled at Souji. "But hey, I'm glad you were there! Thanks."

"It wasn't a problem." Souji said. "Though next time they should plan things out."

"Hey, I suffered too!" Yosuke protested.

"Oh, Hanamura." A familiar girl's voice called. It was the two girls from before. They walked up to the two friends. "What's with the crowd today? It's way busy. If I'd known, I would've skipped out."

"Please don't." Yosuke smiled, hoping it would lighten the tension. "You got a bonus for today, right?"

"Yeah, a whole 500 yen." The other girl muttered. "I'm trying to save up! Gimme a raise."

The teen sighed. "Well…I don't think I can help you there…"

The girl huffed. "What's the point, then?" The two of them walked off, but stopped not too far from the boys. They started talking loudly enough to be heard, even from far away. One of them was complaining about finding a way to pay for her graduation trip. However, the next thing she said caught Yosuke's attention.

"…like Saki did?"

He bit his lip as they talked about how Saki had tried to elope with a guy from college last year, but ended up coming home and said she would save up her money and leave on her own. "It doesn't matter." He finally spoke up. "It's just hot air. I'm not going to let it get to me. …it's sad to be talked about like that, though."

The brunette sighed. "We're the only ones who can avenge Saki-senpai. We're special. We're the only ones. So…there's no need to bother with outsiders."

Souji made a "hmm" noise before he spoke. "You're acting mature about this."

Yosuke smiled sheepishly. "I saw the kid in me inside the TV. I felt I needed to change…" His somber mood returned. "I think it's good you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it this far."

Silence stretched between them. "By the way, Souji?"

"Hmm?"

"What you said yesterday…about 'today being my last.' What was that supposed to mean?"

Souji had a wry smile. "That's something you'll have to figure out on your own. But I can tell you I didn't mean it literally. And…it's something that's been bugging me for awhile." He admitted.

Yosuke raised an eyebrow. "Bugging you? I never thought you'd let something bother you like this."

His partner shrugged. "Guess that means I'm human after all." He said as he got up. "It's getting late. Don't forget midterms start tomorrow."

The brunette made a sour face. "How could I?" he frowned. "Probably will have to pull an all-nighter…Well, see you tomorrow." He started to make his way home.

**&**

Souji watched Yosuke leave the food court before he started walking home himself. Quietly, he prayed that his cru-…best friend…would get home safely. He grimaced. 'I'm hiding it from him, not me.' He berated himself. 'I don't have to lie to myself. Besides, there's no point.'

He couldn't recall when he started seeing the music loving teen as more than a friend. Maybe it was after saving Kanji-the sauna's theme DID bring up the subject, after all. Or maybe it had been when Rise was targeted and Yosuke was talking about her with such an excited tone, not knowing that his partner was trying to keep his jealousy in check.

Yet Souji could remember clearly when it was he started worrying about the brunette. And ever since that day, he had wished that Yosuke had just stayed out of the investigation altogether. But he knew that it wouldn't be fair to leave him out, since he was so intent on avenging Saki. Also, in order to find the killer it was important for everyone who could help to do their own share of fighting.

And now Yosuke was the next target…

'I won't let it happen again.' Souji resolved. 'I won't screw up like I almost did that day.' He turned and ran after his best friend. There was still some time before he had to head home, so he might as well see to it that the brunette got home without any problems.

**&**

Phew…at the last minute I had decided to add something from Souji's point of view.

Not much to say about this chapter-so see ya later!


	4. Order

**Title: **_"Last Days"_

**Author: **Agony-Howl

**Summary: **When the unthinkable happens, the Investigation team is on high alert. As they prepare for the killer to strike, Yosuke tries to figure out his feelings towards his partner and what he meant by "Today may be your last."

**Pairings: **Seta/Hana with Chi/Yuki on the sidelines. Stop reading if you don't like it.

**Disclaimer:** My name is not Atlus-so I don't own Persona 4. And I'm not part of Nickelback either!

**Rating: **T-oddly tame

**WARNING!!! **There will be shonen-ai and shojo-ai. So if you don't like it, then don't read or flame me!

**Before I begin…**Nothing much happens in this chapter-just more interaction between characters and preparation for midterms. There is also hints at NaotoXKanji-the only straight pairing I support in Persona 4 that I know of right now.

Also, Souji's point of view is going to be used a lot in this chapter.

That's about it.

**&**

…_Against the grain should be a way of life  
__What's worth the price is always worth the fight  
__Every second counts 'cause there's no second try  
__So live it like you're never living twice  
__Don't take the free ride in your own life…_

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_**+0+**_**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**"Order"**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Daytime: October 16, 2011

"It's getting to be a custom to meet up like this." Yosuke commented. He and the rest of the Investigation team-with the exception of Kanji and Teddie-were at Junes; this time to study for the rest of the midterms. Turning to Chie he said. "But that aside, could I borrow your notes?"

"Borrowing notes is getting to be a custom too…" Chie noted. "Alright, let's get started…But first, I want a melon soda."

"Is that your way of saying you'll lend me your notes if I buy you a melon soda…?" Yosuke asked, a suspicious tone in his voice.

"Could be." The short haired girl teased.

Naoto chuckled. "Hmhm, Yosuke-san and Chie-san seem to get along well." She pointed out.

"Why don't you two date?" Rise asked, smiling playfully.

"Never!" Chie exclaimed without hesitation, grinning.

"That was quick…!" Yosuke protested. Souji looked away uncomfortably, frowning. The thought of Yosuke and Chie together was…he couldn't think of the right word for it. Although he could definitely say he felt relief when Chie turned him down right away. He also noticed Yukiko looked relieved as well. The silver haired teen was starting to guess what was going on between the two of them, so it served as more confirmation as to what was going on between them.

Rise turned to Naoto. "You too, Naoto! You could go out with Kanji!" she teased.

It was Naoto's turn to be flustered. "Please, stop it!" she pleaded, a faint blush forming on her face.

"Aww, how cute." Rise laughed. She turned to Souji, who had recovered from her initial question and now wore his normal expression. "Hey Senpai…Wouldn't Kanji and Naoto make a good couple?"

"Yeah…" Souji answered truthfully. "I could picture them together." From the way he saw them act around each other, it was obvious to him that they had feelings for each other.

"Come now, Souji-senpai…" Naoto tried to reason with him without success.

"That's enough, guys…" Yosuke attempted to change the subject. "Let's get back to studying!"

Unfortunately, it didn't seem like that was going to happen.

"Souji-senpai, have you thought about dating?" Rise asked, ignoring what Yosuke said.

"…Dating?" Souji asked.

"Yes dating! Any girls you have an interest in?" The idol winked flirtatiously-though Souji had learned by now that she did so in a playful matter. He was starting to wish that they had gone ahead with studying instead of venturing into these dangerous grounds. If he said he wasn't interested in girls, well that would lead to one conclusion right away.

So instead he went for the only safe option. "That's for me to know and you to find out-if I want to tell you." Souji replied with a smirk.

Rise pouted, but thankfully she dropped the subject and everyone returned to studying while Souji got lost in his own thoughts.

For awhile now, he could remember never being attracted to girls. While he could say whether one was cute or had a nice smile, he didn't have an interest in being any closer than as friends. Instead, he found himself drawn more to other guys-he accepted long ago that he was gay.

Unfortunately, none of the girls knew this and were attracted by the same aura that drew people to him. And whenever he tried to get close to a male he had an interest in, one of three things would happen; the guy would figure out his feelings and didn't feel the same way, either he or the other male would be forced to leave the school or town they were living in, or-the most common one-when they got close enough he would discover that his attraction to the other male had faded away.

However, ever since he discovered his crush on Yosuke, Souji found that his feelings for the brunette intensified as they grew closer. He firmly believed that fate was decided by actions rather than a higher power, so he didn't think it was because he had found his soul mate. And it definitely wasn't because they had so much in common; they were closer to being opposites.

Perhaps, he figured, it was because early in their friendship he had a fierce desire to protect the other male that soon turned into affection. Whenever they were fighting Shadows, he would try his best to keep one eye on Yosuke while fighting. If they had lived in a perfect world, he would've had the music loving teen stay outside the dungeons while everyone else fought. But in a perfect world, there would be no murders in the first place. And since this wasn't a perfect world, he knew that the best way for his partner to be safe was to be able to protect himself.

After this revelation, Souji went back to his book and participated with the rest of the group with studying. At the moment, it was all he could do until he decided what to do regarding these feelings.

**&**

As the sky grew dark, the group said their good-byes and went their own ways. Souji, however, had a different plan-there was something he wanted to know.

He ran up to Naoto. "Naoto, there's something I want to ask you."

The younger female looked slightly surprised. "Yes, what is it Senpai?"

"About what you said regarding Chie and Yosuke…What did you mean by that?"

Naoto smiled wryly. "I think I understand your concern now…After Rise-san brought up the subject of dating, you thought that was what I meant. But it wasn't; Chie-san and Yosuke-san interact more like quarrelling siblings than a couple. I can't see them as more than a brother and sister."

"Oh…Alright." Souji sighed. "That's all you meant-I can see what you mean."

"Senpai…" the blue-haired girl began hesitantly. "Do you…have intimate feelings towards Yosuke-san?"

Grey eyes widened. "How…How did you figure that out?"

"It doesn't take much to see you act differently towards him than you do anyone else." Naoto had a knowing look in her eyes. "Rest assured, I won't tell anyone else about this. If and when you feel ready for everyone to know is up to you-not me."

Souji smiled. "Thank you, Naoto."

**&**

Meanwhile…

"Yosuke-senpai, wait up!"

Said-teen turned to face the girl calling his name. Rise ran up to him and began walking beside him. "Don't you think it's dangerous to walk home alone? The killer won't attack if you're with someone else."

"Hey, aren't guys supposed to say that to girls and not the other way around?" Yosuke protested.

The wavy haired girl giggled. "Oh, you boys have to get so defensive about your masculinity! You're letting your embarrassment cloud your common sense!" As soon as her laughter subsided, Rise became serious. "You don't have to act tough about everything going on, you know. I bet if everyone had to choose between catching the killer and making sure you were alright, they'd put you first."

"Rise-chan…That was…" Yosuke trailed off. "…I don't know what to say…"

"Well, I'm serious about this." The younger girl assured him. "Chie-senpai, Kanji, and Naoto may not act like it, but I'm sure they'd want to know you're not in any danger. Yukiko-senpai, Teddie, and me too. And Souji-senpai…" she stopped. "…I think he cares the most."

The older boy frowned. "He cares about everyone-since he's the leader he probably thinks everyone's safety is his responsibility." He pointed out.

Rise shook her head. "That's not what I'm talking about. I watch everyone fight while I'm on the sidelines, so I know how he acts around different members of the team. And while he does make sure everyone's alright, I noticed that Souji-senpai keeps a close eye on you."

Yosuke stopped walking. "He's…Been keeping a watch over me this whole time?" he asked, then sighed and shook his head. "That dumbass…I can defend myself fine. He doesn't have to worry about me."

"He must have a good reason for worrying." Rise pointed out. "Maybe he-"

She was cut off by a curse from Yosuke. "Crap! I forgot my stuff back at Junes!" he started to run back. "See you later, Rise-chan!"

"Yosuke-senpai, wait!" Rise chased after him while muttering. "Did you already forget why I was with you in the first place?"

**&**

"It should be somewhere around here…" Yosuke muttered while he looked for the table he and his friends had been sitting at before. Since it was only about ten minutes before closing, he was able to get in; though the food court was empty. Inwardly, he was praying that no one had taken his things and put them in lost and found or-if there was something wrong with their brains-they took his stuff home with them. Before the next midterms was NOT the best time to lose notes and references.

The brunette spotted his things at the table everyone had gathered at earlier. Relieved, he went to the table and hurriedly gathered everything so he could get home and rest. He was about to head home when the hairs on the back of his neck rose. Knowing better than to ignore the warnings his body was giving off, he proceeded with caution.

He heard footsteps behind him.

They didn't sound hurried-most likely whoever was following him was hoping to sneak up on him. 'Don't look behind you, don't run, don't panic…' Yosuke repeated in his head. If he did any of that, the stalker would simply forgo the stealth and just catch him. And the teen didn't want to try his luck and outrun them. So he kept calm.

Until he felt a hand grab his arm and begin to yank back.

Yosuke pulled one arm forward and sharply elbowed his captor in the side, making them loosen their grip on his arm enough for him to slip out. There was no point in pretending he wasn't being followed now-he broke into a run. The sound of his pounding heart and the feet behind him filled his ears. He was sure they were drawing closer to him, and when they were right behind them they'd-

He yelped as someone grabbed him by his arms.

"Yosuke?! What happened?!"

At the sound of his name, the teen looked into gray eyes with his own wide brown. "S-Souji?!" he cried out. "W-What are you-" Remembering his stalker, the teen turned his head back. An unidentifiable figure was running off, but there was no doubt in his mind who they were.

The killer.

Snapping out of his shock for a moment, Yosuke turned back to Souji. "That was-"

"Probably." Souji agreed.

"Then what are you waiting for?! We got to go after him!" Yosuke shouted.

"Not in the condition you're in." The silver haired teen said calmly.

"I'm not hurt!" the brunette protested. "Come on! He's getting away!"

"You're in shock, Yosuke." His normally level voice was shaky, like he was trying hard to keep calm. "I can't leave you alone."

"But how are we going to get him again?!" he argued. "If he gets away, who knows what he'll do next!"

Souji let go of his friend's arms. "Then go." His voice was icy cold. "If you think you can catch him, then go get him."

Yosuke tried to run forward, but found that his legs wouldn't support him. He would've fallen to the ground if it weren't for a pair of arms holding him up. Souji said nothing as he maneuvered the shorter male to one of the plastic chairs nearby and sat him down.

The brunette refused to look his partner in the eye. 'Damn it…I was so close…' he thought. 'The bastard who killed Saki-senpai was so close…and I couldn't catch him!' Shame welled up inside him. 'Just like that nightmare, I couldn't do anything!' He clenched his fists tightly, ignoring the stinging pain as his nerves protested.

There was a squeaky sound announcing another person approaching. "Sensei? What happened?" Teddie's voice was soft as he approached the two boys. "Did something happen to Yosuke?"

"He almost got caught by someone." Souji explained. "It might have been the killer."

"Then why…?" Yosuke flinched at how shaky and quiet his voice was. "Why didn't you chase after him…?" He kept his gaze focused on the ground-not wanting to face the other two males.

"And what if that wasn't the killer?" Souji asked coolly. "What if that was someone else and the real killer was waiting near by? I doubt you would stand a chance against him in the state your in."

Yosuke said nothing. He felt something wet trickle down from his palms.

"Yosuke! You're bleeding!" Teddie exclaimed.

Brown eyes moved over to his hands. Sure enough, there was blood dripping from between his clenched fingers. He relaxed his grip, revealing four crescent marks on each palm. "Sorry…" he muttered. "I just…"

Souji took one of his hands and pulled him to his feet. "I know-we all want to catch him. But that won't mean anything if someone is thrown aside carelessly while everyone else goes after him." Once he was sure Yosuke could walk on his own, he and Teddie walked home with the brunette in tow.

"By the way, Souji..." Yosuke began. "How did you know I was in here?"

"Naoto and I were talking and when we saw you run by we knew we had to go after you." Souji explained. "We met up with Rise along the way and followed you here."

"So where are Naoto and Rise?"

"They're waiting outside."

Neither of them said anything once the conversation ended. There would be time to talk another time.

**&**

Fooled you!

Oops-ruined the moment.

Anyways, I wanted to have another scene with Chie and Yukiko, but alas it wasn't meant to be. It will take place in the next chapter instead.

Sayonara!


	5. Yearning

**Title: **_"Last Days"_

**Author: **Agony-Howl

**Summary: **When the unthinkable happens, the Investigation team is on high alert. As they prepare for the killer to strike, Yosuke tries to figure out his feelings towards his partner and what he meant by "Today may be your last."

**Pairings: **Seta/Hana with Chi/Yuki on the sidelines. I don't want flames just because you don't like the pairing!

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Persona 4, there would have been an option to be gay.

**Rating: **T for language, mostly.

**WARNING!!! **There will be shonen-ai and shojo-ai. So if you don't like it, then don't read or flame me!

**Before I begin…**The last chapter was probably the most dramatic so far. Sorry if there wasn't much love in the air, but I'll try to amend that in this chapter. There's also a scene with Chie and Yukiko, but after that the rest of the chapter is going to be in Souji's point of view.

Moving on!

**&**

…_If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late  
__Could you say good-bye to yesterday?  
__Would you live each moment like your last,  
__Leave old pictures in the past?  
__Donate every dime you had?..._

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_**+0+**_**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------**"Yearning"**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Evening

Chie and Yukiko were walking home, holding hands, when Yukiko spoke up. "Chie, have you noticed that Souji-kun is acting a bit…odd, lately?" she asked.

"You mean ever since Yosuke appeared on the Midnight Channel?" Chie clarified. "Come to think of it, Souji-kun has been making sure he doesn't go home alone. But don't forget, this is the first time someone we really knew was targeted."

"I know, but there seems to be something else…" Yukiko said carefully. "Do you think…that Souji-kun likes Yosuke-kun?"

Chie thought for a moment. "That doesn't seem too far-fetched." She admitted. "I've seen girls crushing on him left and right, but he doesn't seem to have any interest in them. So I've been thinking that he probably might be gay. And I remember him tensing up when Yosuke was talking about Rise like a pervy old man…Now that I think about it, he might have been feeling jealous."

"So that would explain why he's more protective over Yosuke-kun." Yukiko concluded. She sighed. "But…Yosuke-kun doesn't seem to be interested in guys. Do you remember how he freaked out when we were rescuing Kanji-kun?"

The shorter-haired girl giggled. "Yeah, who could forget? Especially when Kanji-kun's Shadow mentioned that he, Souji-kun, and Teddie would make wonderful boyfriends! I wished I had a camera when I saw his face." Chie sobered up once she stopped laughing. "But if Souji-kun really does have a crush on Yosuke, I hope he doesn't get his hopes up too high…I don't want to see him get hurt."

"I don't either." the dark-haired girl agreed. "Souji-kun is a good person; no one wants to see him hurt…"

Chie sighed. "But at the same time, if Yosuke doesn't feel the same it's not really his fault. You know how people keep saying 'the worst they can say is no?' I had thought about it before telling you how I felt and I realized that 'no' isn't the worst answer. The worst a person could do is say 'yes' and later tell you that they didn't mean it."

Yukiko looked at Chie with surprise. "You thought I would do that to you?"

"No…I tried to tell that to myself so that you saying 'no, I don't like you' wouldn't sound so bad-I knew you weren't the type to lie like that." Chie quickly explained. She smiled. "But I'm still glad you felt the same." She pulled Yukiko over and kissed her on the forehead. Black bangs tickled her nose.

Her girlfriend smiled. "I'm glad you told me."

**&**

After School: October 20, 2011

"It's finally over…" Yosuke yawned. The midterms had just ended-he and Souji were talking while Chie and Yukiko were going over their answers. "I pulled an all-nighter last night, so I'm ready to collapse any second now…I'm gonna head home. See ya later." He walked out of the classroom without another word.

Souji got up and went after him, but then remembered he promised to be at basketball practice. 'Not good. I can't just let him go home on his own…' He caught sight of a familiar blonde and sighed with relief before running up to him. "Kanji, could you do me a favor?"

"Huh? Senpai, what's wrong?" Kanji asked, a bit confused.

"Yosuke's heading home early, and I have to be at basketball practice. Could you keep an eye on him for me? Just to make sure…"

"Make sure the killer doesn't get him again? Sure, no problem." The rest of the team had been informed of what happened that Sunday-as a result, they kept a closer eye on Yosuke. As much as the brunette protested, no one wanted him to be on his own if the killer decided to attack again.

As Kanji ran off to find the older male, Souji made his way to basketball practice. He had been missing practice quite a few times; so he figured he should make it up to Kou.

**&**

Evening

Souji said his good-byes to Kou and Daisuke and started to head home. Thankfully he had been able to focus on practice without worrying about Yosuke. Kanji was dim at times, but he stuck up for the group when there was trouble and wouldn't back down no matter what.

Thinking about Yosuke and the killer was a dangerous combination for the silver-haired teen. Whenever he did, his thoughts would travel back. And as much as he didn't want to think about that day, his mind had a different idea…

…_He stood by silently with Teddie as the confrontation before him unfolded. It was surreal watching two people who looked nearly identical face off with each other-one revealing the other's true thoughts._

"_That's not true!" Yosuke denied vehemently. "What are you!? Who are you!?"_

_The replica of him chuckled. "I already told ya. I'm you…You're Shadow…There's nothing I don't know about you!"_

_Yosuke shook his head. "Screw that! I don't know you!" he growled. "YOU CAN'T BE ME, YOU SON OF A BITCH!!" he yelled._

_The other Yosuke snickered, and then began laughing. "THAT'S RIGHT!" he goaded. "SAY IT AGAIN!!"_

_Souji didn't have to see into the future to know that things were going to take a turn for the worse. Yosuke, however, was too upset to think straight and took his replica's challenge. "You're not me-YOU'RE NOTHING LIKE ME!!" he shouted._

_The clone let out a short laugh. "Yeah, that's right-I am ME now!" Souji caught a triumphant look in his yellow eyes. "I'm not you anymore, see!?"_

_A dark aura gathered around the replica as it began to change shape. Yosuke backed away from it, as if sensing what was going to happen. As the shape became clearer and more defined, he passed out…_

…"That's enough!" Souji muttered. He didn't want to go any further in that memory. It wasn't that he couldn't accept what his best friend had really been thinking-if that was the case he wouldn't have fallen for him in the first place. And besides, he wouldn't have befriended anyone else after learning about the darker parts of them.

But that memory had been different; it had lead to the most frightening experience of his life.

Coming into the house, the first thing he noticed was that Nanako wasn't home. "That's odd…" he murmured. "She's usually home by now…"

He heard the door open, than close. "I'm home." Nanako's voice called. He turned to meet his cousin. She smiled brightly when she saw him. "Oh, welcome back. There was a letter in the mailbox for you."

Souji took the letter and examined it. Sure enough, it was addressed to him-but there was no name or return address to be found. He opened the letter and found one sentence printed:

"_dont rescue anymore"_

**&**

Lunchtime: October 21, 2011

Souji had gathered the Investigation team on the roof to discuss the letter he received. Naturally, everyone was shocked.

"'dont rescue anymore'…Is this a warning?" Naoto murmured.

"No punctuation or capitalization…What a cliché." Chie commented.

"Ain't this a prank? The kinda stuff that only happens in the movies?" Kanji wondered.

"Did you show this to your uncle?" Yosuke asked.

"No-and I don't plan to." Souji answered. "If he knew, he'd probably wonder why I got the letter. And if he knew my involvement, he'd keep a closer eye on me."

"If this letter is real, what's most important isn't what it says…It's the fact it was delivered to the Dojima residence addressed directly to you." Naoto reasoned. "This means the culprit knows in great detail who has been interfering with his crimes. And of all of us, he chose to deliver his message to the Dojima residence, home of a police detective." She sighed. "I'd have this letter checked at a crime lab if I could…But even then, I doubt they'd find anything. The text is a warning, while the subtext expresses the culprit's confidence that we can't use this to pinpoint his identity."

"So it's useless to tell the police…" Chie concluded. "In fact, that would make things worse."

"Cross your fingers it's just a prank…" Yosuke said, biting his lip.

Yukiko looked doubtful. "I think the chances of that are slim…The message is too specific, too perfect to be a prank." Her eyes widened, as though she came to a realization. "But how could the killer know so much about us? Could he be watching us from somewhere…?"

Yosuke's head perked up. "Teddie's been saying for awhile that when we're over there, he senses someone watching us…" He paused. "Wait…Every time we went to the other side to rescue someone, did we end up on the Midnight Channel ourselves…?"

"I-I dunno…" Chie disagreed. "It seems like no one else knows what we're doing. I haven't heard any rumors about us at school. Even the people who I know check that channel haven't said anything…The only gossip I heard was about the people who disappeared."

"I see…Come to think of it, how the Midnight Channel works is still a mystery…" Yosuke pointed out.

"Let's put aside for now the matter of what that world truly is. There's too little data to go on." Naoto declared. "For now, we need to keep in mind that the culprit knows who we are…As long as we're all aware of that, it will be enough for now." She turned to Yosuke. "That means that you really must be careful if he decides to strike. If he knows who you are, then he'll be expecting you to be ready."

"Don't have to tell me twice…" Yosuke muttered.

"Anyways," Souji spoke up. "We'll have to wait until the situation changes. Until then, there's no use worrying about speculation."

Everyone immediately agreed while Chie changed the subject and brought up the Culture Festival coming up. The event that just occurred was forgotten for the moment.

**&**

After School

Souji was heading to the bus stop to work at the Day Care when he heard footsteps behind him.

"Hey, wait up!" Yosuke called.

He slowed down so that the brunette was walking next to him now. "Yesterday when I was walking home, Kanji came up and followed me until I got there." He stated. "Did you ask him to follow me?"

"I did." Souji responded calmly.

Yosuke frowned. "You didn't have to do that-I can get home fine on my own." He protested. "I'm not completely defenseless."

"If you're talking about being armed, then it's not the best defense." Souji pointed out. "Pulling out a knife will get the police suspicious and they will put you under surveillance. That wouldn't help the group, and also I've had a suspicion…"

"About what…?"

"What if the murderer is a cop?"

The brunette's eyebrows went up. "A cop!?" he exclaimed. "What made you think that!?"

"If he's a cop, than he can get close to the victim without anyone getting suspicious." Souji explained. "Everyone would think that he was protecting them, so they wouldn't give much notice to him. And he'd have access to information the police have."

Yosuke fell silent. "Now that you've said all that…it might make sense." He admitted. "Hold on…was that also why you don't want me under surveillance?"

The silver-haired teen nodded. "That's right…If the killer is a police officer and you were under surveillance, then it would be like handing you over to him on a silver platter."

"Alright…I guess I can put up with being watched." The brunette admitted. "But once the fog comes and goes, that's it!"

"Wasn't planning on having watched that long." Souji smiled. They reached the bus stop and sat down.

"By the way, Souji?" Yosuke asked. "Could you give some sort of hint about what you said about last days?"

Souji thought about it for a moment, than replied. "It was something I didn't give any thought to when I first came to Inaba. But as I spent more time here, it became more important to me. And once the mystery is solved, it's what I'll concentrate on."

"…I still can't make any sense of what you're saying." Yosuke sighed.

"The point of a hint isn't to give you the answer." The silver-haired teen chuckled.

Brown eyes widened. "Dude, did you just laugh!?" he asked incredulously.

"Oh-bus is here!" Souji quickly got up. Sure enough, the bus was coming down the street. "I got to get going. See you tomorrow."

"Hey, you're not getting off that easy!" Yosuke shouted. "That's it! Don't make any plans tomorrow-meet me at Junes after school!"

"Alright! But you're not getting anything out of me!" Souji grinned as he got on the bus. As it made its way to the Day Care, he looked back to see his best friend waving to him.

"I haven't laughed like that in awhile."

**&**

Another chapter done!

The next one is one you've probably been waiting for-no, it's not a confession. It's the next best thing! It's…(insert drum roll)

The hug!

Look forward to it!


	6. Requiem

**Title: **_"Last Days"_

**Author: **Agony-Howl

**Summary: **When the unthinkable happens, the Investigation team is on high alert. As they prepare for the killer to strike, Yosuke tries to figure out his feelings towards his partner and what he meant by "Today may be your last."

**Pairings: **Seta/Hana with Chi/Yuki on the sidelines. Flame me for the pairing, and the Soul Catchers will come for you!

**Disclaimer: **…No. I don't own Persona 4 or the song used in this fanfiction. This story, however, is MINE!

**Rating: **T for language-not something I'd expect for an M rated game.

**WARNING!!! **There will be shonen-ai and shojo-ai. So if you don't like it, then don't read or flame me!

**Before I begin…** Two social link events are going to happen in this chapter. And one of them is number 8! (This is the last chapter the bitchy girls from the Magician social link will make an appearance, so I rejoice!)

Anyways, this chapter and the next are going to be a break from the storyline and will focus more on the pairings. There's another nightmare in this, too.

Read on!

**&**

…_And would you call those friends you never see?  
__Reminisce old memories?  
__Would you forgive your enemies?  
__And would you find that one you're dreaming of?  
__Swear up and down to God above?  
__That you'd finally fall in love if today was your last day?..._

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_**+0+**_**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------**"Requiem"**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

After School: October 22, 2011

"Looks like the Culture festival this year is going to be really interesting." Yosuke commented. He and Souji were sitting at one of the tables in the Junes food court. Earlier that day, their class had voted to do a Group Date Café for their contribution to the Culture day festival.

"What else happens during the festival?" Souji asked, curious.

"Hmm…there's a Beauty Pageant every year…" the brunette listed. "And…Oh yeah! There's also a Cross-Dressing Pageant, but hardly anyone enters that one for obvious reasons."

"Has anyone entered?" Souji asked.

"A few; and they either looked butt-ugly or pulled it off so well it was scary." Yosuke shuddered at the memory. "Anyways, whatcha gonna eat today?"

"Hey, Hanamura!!" He groaned-it was the two girls again.

"…What is it today?" he asked.

"How come Kazumi can take the day off and we can't?" One of the girls demanded.

"…Huh?" He raised his eyebrows.

"We told you before!" Her friend snapped. "We can't work weekends! So when we refused, they said they were going to fire us! I don't get this!"

"Hey, I talked to the manager…" Yosuke explained. "Senpai…have you been taking absences without leave lately?"

The two of them exchanged nervous glances. "I-I just forgot to come…" The first girl said, hoping the excuse would be enough. "Besides, that's not the point! What're you going to do about this!? I have a date that day!"

"How come you're favoring Kazumi, huh!?" her friend accused. "You were like that with Saki, too!"

"…Huh?" A weight settled across his chest.

"Don't try to hide it! We all know!" She continued. "You liked Saki and treated her special!"

"…I don't think Saki-senpai has anything to do with the subject." Yosuke said coolly.

"Yeah, it does!!" The girl insisted. "You told the other workers to take it easy on Saki, didn't you? You think you can do anything just because you're the manager's son!?"

"So it's Kazumi now that Saki's dead!?" her friend asked vehemently. "Don't even bother, she has a boyfriend." Her next words were like a knife in his chest. "Didn't you get it!? Saki didn't like you! We heard so from her! She may have acted that way but…" The two of them continued to bad mouth Saki, while Yosuke sat silently. He didn't know what to do.

"I feel bad for Saki-senpai."

Brown eyes widened and looked up. Souji had stood up and was now facing the girls. "Being talked about like that when you're dead…I wouldn't wish that on anyone." He said calmly, trying to get them to stop.

The pain in Yosuke's chest lessened slightly. "Souji…"

"Wha-Who are you!?" One of the girls snapped at him. "You shut up!"

Something inside Yosuke snapped. It was bad enough they were saying those things about Saki, but now they were taking it out on his best friend, who was only trying to lessen the tension. He sat up angrily and faced the two girls. "You're the ones who should shut up!!" he shouted. "What do you know about Saki-senpai!? She didn't do things half-assed like you! She looked lazy, but she worked hard! She talked bad, but she was good inside!" He continued despite the girls drawing back. "So she hated me? I knew that! She's not here anymore! I'm left behind! …Just leave me alone."

"Wh-What the heck…?" one of the girls muttered, surprised that the younger male she was used to taking abuse without batting an eye was now yelling at her.

"…Let's go." Her friend said quietly. The two of them left without another word.

"…I just blurted out a bunch of crap, huh?" Yosuke murmured, looking at the ground.

"You were just upset." Souji pointed out. "There's nothing to be ashamed of."

"N-No, I was just…" he smiled pathetically. "Damn, another pathetic display from Yosuke, huh? …Thanks, though. Hearing you say that stuff to them…It made me happy."

"I just couldn't stand by." Souji shrugged. "Not when they were saying things like that. I meant what I said-no one should be talked about badly…especially if they aren't around."

"Well, thanks anyway." Yosuke smiled sheepishly, then sighed. "I don't want to…I really don't want to…But I'll go talk with Dad…At this rate, those two are gonna quit…I should tell him and apologize…" he took a few steps forward, then stopped. "I don't know…What do I want to do? I don't get it…even though it's my own future. …Sorry, but I'll see you later, Souji." He walked off quietly.

As he looked for his father, he tried to make sense of the feelings in his chest. The pain was gone, but it seemed like a lump had formed. It didn't take too long to figure it out, however-it had been old wounds that were ripped open.

'Maybe…once I talk with Dad I should go somewhere to cool off."

**&**

As Souji made his way back home, he thought about what had just occurred. He had to admit he didn't like Saki very much. It wasn't because she didn't like Yosuke-he understood that no one was going to be liked by everyone. But what bugged him was that she pretended to be nice to him. And because of that, when Yosuke did learn the truth it hurt him more than if she had said so in the first place.

But at the same time, he didn't want to sit silently while someone talked badly about a person who couldn't do anything to stop them. If he had a worse temper, he would've told the girls to shut up. Yet that wouldn't have done anything but make things worse, and he knew it wasn't fair to yell at them when his best friend was doing his best to deal with them calmly.

Walking by the river, Souji glanced over and noticed a familiar figure. Yosuke was sitting by the river, staring at something in his hands. He made his way down the steps leading down and stood beside the brunette.

"…Hm? Souji?" Yosuke looked up, then got up on his feet. "What are you doing here?"

"The fog hasn't come yet-I can't leave you here while the killer's loose." Souji explained.

Brown eyes looked at the ground. "Oh, right…I forgot…"

"…Also…" his partner looked up, puzzled. "You looked upset."

Yosuke was silent. After a few moments, he held out the object he was holding. It was a Print Club sticker with him and Saki in it. "I took this with Saki-senpai…" he explained. "When I first got here, she insisted on taking it…" he looked away uncomfortably. "Back then…somewhere inside me, I thought I was above this place…A lot of people saw me as the enemy, because Junes was going to ruin the shopping district…" he looked up. "But…when I met her, she told me 'Parents are parents. You're you.' Even if she didn't mean it, it made me happy. Because of her, I started to think this town wasn't all that bad. But then…"

"…she died?"

"Why…?" The brunette's eyes watered up. "Why did she…have to…die…?" he shook his head vehemently. "It pisses me off…It makes me mad! I wanted to talk with her more! I wanted to get to know her better! But…She's not here anymore." Finally, he let the tears fall. "Souji…I get it now…I wanted to forget about Saki-senpai. How she's not here anymore…I wanted to forget that…I was living a boring life in the middle of nowhere.

"When the murders started, I got excited. I thought there was finally a point to me being in Inaba. I thought I could forget Senpai was gone, and the fact I was such a loser. I jumped at the murders and never once thought about what I was doing. I…didn't even take the first step. I'm sorry…Saki-senpai. And you too, Souji…"

"You don't have to apologize…" Souji said quietly, so Yosuke wouldn't hear him. Seeing his partner like this was painful for him. "Not to me…" He let the brunette continue to pour his heart out.

"…I didn't care if she didn't like me. I just wanted her to smile." The tears were slowing down, but were still falling. "But I think I'm awake now. I need to get over the fact that Saki-senpai isn't coming back…that when the case ends, I have nowhere to run. And I won't have changed…You made me realize that."

"Yosuke…"

He wiped his eyes. "I think I'm all cried out…" he said, though there was still moisture in his eyes.

At this point, Souji couldn't just stand by anymore. He didn't think about what his best friend would think or might figure out later. Walking over to the one he loved, he pulled him into an embrace.

**&**

Yosuke didn't know what happened. One moment he was wiping the tears out of his eyes and the next he was being hugged by his partner. "You dumbass…That's for girls…" he muttered. "It hurts, dammit…" His eyes watered up again.

Deep down, he didn't really protest. Souji had hugged him in a way that the brunette could push him off if he wanted to and it wasn't tight. 'He feels…kinda warm…' he thought. Under normal circumstances he would've denied what he thought and pulled away; but right now he was content with crying on his best friend's shoulder.

**&**

Evening

Yosuke laid on his futon, but he couldn't get himself to fall asleep. Everything that had happened that day was still swimming in his mind. "It didn't feel wrong…" he whispered aloud. "But I don't feel those kinds of things for him…What's going on with me?"

"You've been talking to yourself lately." Brown eyes looked over to the speaker. Teddie was standing in the doorway, his blue eyes worried. "Did something happen between you and Sensei?"

The teen pulled the covers over his head so Teddie wouldn't see how on the spot he had guessed. "No, nothing happened." He lied. "I was just saying nonsense."

"But if you were saying nonsense, no one would understand a word you're saying!" The blonde pointed out. "You would've been talking gibberish!"

"Nonsense and gibberish are two different things, Ted!" Yosuke argued. "I was saying nonsense, not gibberish!"

"Sounds more like you were having problems." Teddie insisted. "I think you have some and you're just not saying anything! So this bear is going to sit right here and keep talking until you say what's on your mind!" He folded his arms and sat stubbornly in front of the doorway.

The music loving teen snorted. Despite what he was trying to do, Teddie looked more comical than serious; especially when he started babbling about different topics in an attempt to annoy the room's occupant. He managed to roll over, pull his pillow over his head, and block out the noise. Slowly, he drifted away from reality…

…_and returned to the foggy place that occupied his nightmares. Just like before, Souji was standing with his back to him. But the silver haired teen was not taking a single step toward the fog-he stood as still as the person behind him._

_Yosuke tried to move but found he couldn't. No surprise. He couldn't speak either. 'At least this time he isn't walking into the fog.' He looked on the bright side. 'But…what if he starts moving again? If he does, I won't be able to-'_

"_-able to what?"_

_If he had been able to move, he would have frozen. He knew that voice all too well. Even if he could turn his head, there would be no need-he knew what he would see. 'What is he doing here?'_

"_You know I can hear what you're thinking." His own voice answered. It was coming from right behind him. "Remember? We're the same person."_

'_I know that, dammit.'_

"_Hm? No denials, huh?"_

'_You think I'll make the same mistake I did long ago-after watching what happened to everyone? Not a chance. You're me, and I'm you-I already know that.'_

_It should've made the world quiet again, should've made the third occupant vanish. But it didn't. Instead, he shuddered as he felt someone lean over to whisper in his ear. "Is that so?" His voice asked quietly. "Then…if I killed that guy in front of you, would that mean you're the murderer?"_

_Brown eyes widened as the speaker smirked. Souji was once again descending into the fog, but now he knew what awaited his partner. 'No…don't. Leave him out of this…Souji has nothing to do with this.'_

_A quiet laugh answered his pleads. "I really hate you, ya know." The one behind him continued. "If we weren't connected, I would've gotten rid of you. But hearing you scream as he falls works just as well."He moved away from the frozen teen, towards the figure fading in the fog._

'_Stop! Leave him alone! Don't hurt him!' His replica paid no heed to his desperate cries. He tried calling out to his partner instead. 'Souji, run! Get away! Run!'_

_The second figure stopped and looked over at him with yellow eyes. "It's no use-you don't have the guts to take a step towards him." He said as Souji faded into the fog. "That's why you're completely helpless." He turned back and disappeared._

_Yosuke waited for the end, waiting to wake up from this nightmare. 'It should end any time now.' He thought. 'Any time now, I'll wake up and-'_

_The thick, white fog turned blood red._

_It didn't take a genius to figure out what happened. He stared wide-eyed and dropped to his knees-as though the binds that had been restraining him were taken off. "N-No…he's not…there's no way…" his voice was shaking. A lump was forming in his chest. "He can't be…Souji wouldn't…" Tears were building up in his eyes._

_Yet as much as he tried to convince himself otherwise, deep down he knew what happened. "He's…He's…"he hiccupped. "He's…" Rain fell from above and from brown eyes. "He's gone…"_

_No one heard his cries…_

…as his eyes sprung open and he sat up abruptly. He was breathing hard, taking in short gasps of air. Cold sweat covered his body and he could still feel tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Teddie was still awake-he had to give the bear credit for being tenacious when he really wanted to. "You were tossing and turning and you kept saying 'no' over and over again."

"Umm…" Yosuke bit his lip. "I was dreaming…about this girl I liked." He lied.

"Oh! Then why were you saying 'no?'"

"…She was dating someone else."

"So that's what was wrong!" Teddie shouted triumphantly. "You got upset because you have a hard time scoring with her!"

"Keep your voice down, Ted! If you wake my parents up, then you'll have to find another place to stay!"

"I know!" The blonde continued, ignoring the teen's protests. "I can give you tips on scoring! I've been practicing and I can guarantee that if you follow them the girl you like will find you un-Bear-ably irresistible!"

Yosuke continued to hiss at him to keep his voice down, which took a few minutes. Miraculously, his parents slept like the dead. But in the back of his mind, the visions he saw would not leave him.

**&**

Another chapter done! Whew, I'm going through these pretty quickly!

There will be more with Chie and Yukiko in the next chapter. And I'm going to try and get Kanji and Rise involved more.

Till then!


	7. Insight

**Title: **_"Last Days"_

**Author: **Agony-Howl

**Summary: **When the unthinkable happens, the Investigation team is on high alert. As they prepare for the killer to strike, Yosuke tries to figure out his feelings towards his partner and what he meant by "Today may be your last."

**Pairings: **Seta/Hana with Chi/Yuki on the sidelines. No complaints!

**Disclaimer: **I can only wish.

**Rating: **T for language-not something I'd expect for an M rated game.

**WARNING!!! **There will be shonen-ai and shojo-ai. So if you don't like it, then don't read or flame me!

**Before I begin…** I have been in a slump for the past few days, so I decided to replay Persona 4 on expert. So far, I'm about to start Kanji's dungeon. (Damn, it's hard!)

BTW, I made a change to the prologue's first scene due to some rethinking on what will happen later. It's a small change, though-so it's nothing you really have to reread if you don't want to.

Anyways, I couldn't really have any romance in this chapter. But I promise there will be some in the next-and more…

**&**

…_If today was your last day  
__Would you make your mark by mending a broken heart?  
__You know it's never too late to shoot for the stars  
__Regardless of who you are…_

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_**+0+**_**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------**"Insight"**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Daytime: October 23, 2011

Rise sighed as she walked along the Samegawa river. It had started raining the night before and didn't show any signs of letting up. According to the forecast, it was going to rain tomorrow as well.

Not too far from her, she could hear familiar voices chatting. She didn't have to look to see who was talking-she knew right away it was Chie and Yukiko. But what they said to each other was what caught the former idol's attention.

"…about the people around here?"

"Don't worry-they don't really care about what is going on in the pavilion."

'What are they talking about?' Yet even her curiosity couldn't get Rise to follow her older school mates just to see what they were talking about. Despite what her teammates might think, she didn't like butting into people's business; she had enough of that while she was Risette.

Yet soon the time came when she would have to head over to Junes-she had noticed something wrong with Yosuke and wanted to check on him. And to get there she would have to walk by the pavilion…

"Just don't ask them any questions." Rise told herself firmly. "I'm just passing by." This was easy to do when she climbed the stairs up to the road and began walking past where the pavilion stood. She was sure she would get by without any problems-

-Until she saw what was going on inside.

Chie and Yukiko were sitting closely to each other, arms around each other. At first, the first-year didn't think anything about it. She had seen girls hug each other either to show how happy they were for the other or for comfort. It wasn't anything new at all.

What happened next was.

Yukiko stood up, pulling her friend to her feet. And once she was, she leaned over and planted a kiss on the short-haired girl's cheek.

The former idol was unable to hold back a gasp.

Chie and Yukiko whirled around and faced Rise, shock all over their faces. "D-Did you just-" Chie stammered.

"Chie-senpai, Yukiko-senpai…you two are dating?" Rise asked, surprised herself.

Yukiko's face was starting to turn red. "Well..kind of…" she admitted, waiting for a worst-case scenario.

"…That's really…" Rise looked for the right word. "…I don't know…" she sighed.

"Oh, you don't like this sort of stuff…" Chie said, also preparing for what was to come.

The pig-tailed girl shook her head. "No, it's not that-I don't mind!" she quickly amended. "It's just that you caught me off guard, that's all! I always thought you liked Yosuke-senpai, that's all."

Chie shook her head. "No, not in that way." She explained. "He's more like a little brother-annoying sometimes, but that doesn't mean I don't care about him."

"So is 'sibling rivalry' the reason you two keep fighting?" Rise asked, smiling with good humor.

"Probably." Chie grinned, the awkwardness from before forgotten.

"That explains a lot!" Rise giggled. She was relieved that, despite this recent shock, she was still able to act normally around her older school mates. 'Well, duh!' she chastised herself. 'It doesn't matter who they love-they're still the same!' She was one of the people who had an open view on same-sex relationships; what gender a person loved was a very small part of the person themself. Hearing about Kanji's confusion about his sexuality didn't keep her from befriending her classmate. Although Yosuke kept making comments about-

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Rise exclaimed, startling Chie and Yukiko. "I've got to go-there's something that's been bothering me…"

"Is it about Yosuke-kun?" Yukiko asked hesitantly. "We can go with while we talk."

"Actually, it is." Rise admitted as the three girls made their way. "He just seems too…how do I say this?...Too set on catching the killer. Not that it's a bad thing, but when I found out he was being targeted, I was afraid he might do something drastic."

"That's probably part of the reason Souji-kun doesn't want him to be by himself." Chie pointed out. "Not just to keep the killer at bay, but also to make sure Yosuke doesn't try to do anything stupid. Though mostly, it's been Souji-kun who does the watching…"

"Wait, what are you implying?" Rise asked slowly.

Yukiko was the one who explained. "Chie and I thought that Souji-kun…may have feelings for Yosuke-kun. As more than a friend."

"That doesn't actually seem too far-fetched." Rise admitted. "Souji-senpai gets really protective over Yosuke-senpai whenever they're fighting Shadows. Of course, it could just be because they're best friends, but we can't leave anything out."

A familiar, cheery tune announced that the three girls had arrived at Junes. "Well, we'd better get going." Yukiko said. "See you later, Rise-chan."

"Same to you, Senpai." As the two girls walked off, Rise spotted one of the employees coming out of the elevator. "Excuse me, do you know where Yosuke Hanamura is working?"

"Hana-chan? He got off work about half an hour ago." The employee answered. "Though I didn't see him leave…"

Rise stared, her eyes wide. 'Senpai wouldn't pull a stunt like this, unless…'

She prayed she was wrong.

**&**

Meanwhile…

"Senpai, mind if I ask you something?" Kanji asked. He and Souji were in Aiya's, making an attempt at the Rainy Day challenge. So far, they were both doing badly-though Kanji was faring better than his older schoolmate.

"No-what do you need to know?" Souji asked, staring dismally into the seemingly bottomless bowl of meat. He was beginning to regret trying this challenge, though he managed to gather enough will power to pick up his chopsticks and put more of the contents into his mouth.

"Is there something going on between you and Yosuke-senpai?"

Souji's eyes widened as the meat went down the wrong way. He started coughing, trying to dislodge the piece of food from his throat. Kanji hit him on the back a few times before he finally coughed it up. "Thanks…" he muttered. "And did Naoto tell you anything?"

"No, I just…" Kanji paused while he thought of the right words. "You've…been keeping a close eye on him for awhile. I know he's the next target and all, but there seems to be something else when you look at him."

The silver-haired teen put his chopsticks down. He was too full and would not be able to finish his meal. "Something else?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah…it's kinda like how…Ugh, how do I put this…" the younger male huffed. "…It's kinda like…you have something you wanna tell him, but you won't. And you're not the type to hide stuff."

"Hmm…" Souji frowned. "Are you sure Naoto didn't tell you anything?"

"No! She didn't!"

The owner broke into their conversation. "Aiyaa! Too bad, you two!" he announced. "That'll be 3,000 yen from both of you. Better luck next time!"

After digging out money from their pockets and paying, the two males left the restaurant and began walking through the rain.

"So Naoto didn't tell you anything?" Souji asked again.

"No, I didn't hear a word from her about you." Kanji confirmed. "Why do you ask?"

"…It's nothing."

"…If you don't wanna talk about it, that's fine." The bleached haired male said.

Souji sighed. "No, it's alright. I feel like talking a bit about this anyways." He was quiet. "It's actually about what you mentioned earlier-about me wanting to tell Yosuke about something. I've…" he stopped.

"You've what…?" Kanji asked. However, slow as he is (he would admit that), he soon realized what his older schoolmate was telling him. "Wait, you mean you're…you're…"

"Yes." Souji said without blinking.

"So that's why you didn't look freaked out when my Shadow was saying those things!"

"No, but the sauna still freaked me out, no offense." Souji admitted. "I don't care if my sexuality is supposed to protect me from stuff like that-I do NOT enjoy getting hit on by people I barely know! And the voices from the beginning of it…I'd rather forget about."

"None taken-I don't like that place either."

**Pi Pi Pi Pi Pi Pi Pi**

"Hold on…" Souji flipped his phone open. "Hello?"

"Senpai! It's Rise!" her voice was panicked. "Yosuke-senpai's not at Junes!"

Gray eyes widened. "What!?"

"I was stopping by to check on him, but when I asked one of the employees where he was, she mentioned he got off work and she didn't see him leave." Rise explained quickly.

Fighting back the panic building up, Souji kept his voice level while giving instructions to Rise. "Find Teddie and head to the Electronics department." He ordered. "Go into the TV and check to see if he's there. I'll get everyone else to look around town just in case he's somewhere else."

"Got it. Keep your fingers crossed."

"No need to tell me." He hung up and turned to Kanji. "Yosuke's missing. I need you to check around here for him in case he's still in this world. Call Naoto and have her help."

"I'm on it!" While he called Naoto, Souji dialed Chie's number.

"Chie, where are you and Yukiko?"

"W-We're at the Samegawa river. Why do you ask?" confusion was evident in her tone.

"Good-I need you to look for Yosuke. According to Rise, he disappeared. She and Teddie are looking for him in the other world, but that doesn't mean we can't make sure he's still here."

"Alright, I'll call you if I see anything!"

"Good. If Rise finds anything, I'll let you know." Hanging up, Souji headed for the Hanamura household. 'If there's a God out there, then please prove what I'm thinking wrong!'

**&**

Hmmm…

Not saying anything!


	8. Torment

**Title: **_"Last Days"_

**Author: **Agony-Howl

**Summary: **When the unthinkable happens, the Investigation team is on high alert. As they prepare for the killer to strike, Yosuke tries to figure out his feelings towards his partner and what he meant by "Today may be your last."

**Pairings: **Seta/Hana with Chi/Yuki on the sidelines. Flame me not!

**Disclaimer: **Only this story is mine.

**Rating: **T for language-not something I'd expect for an M rated game.

**WARNING!!! **There will be shonen-ai and shojo-ai. So if you don't like it, then don't read or flame me!

**Before I begin…** The last chapter was supposed to have romance, but when I was writing it I ended up writing about what the other characters were thinking.

Anyways, the story returns in this chapter with another nightmare. And that's about it.

**&**

…_So do whatever it takes  
_'_Cause you can't rewind a moment in this life  
__Let nothing stand in your way  
_'_Cause the hands of time are never on your side…_

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_**+0+**_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------**"Torment"**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"Why did I come out here in the rain again?" Yosuke grumbled, switching the umbrella to his left arm to give his right arm a break. Leaning on the fence, he looked over the town. He had wanted some time on his own, so he had told Rise that his shift ended later. A grimace crossed his face. 'And I'm supposed to be scared of being alone.' He recalled what his Shadow had said.

"_You don't have the guts to take a step towards him."_

Those words kept repeating in his mind. 'What did he mean by that?' he wondered. 'I'm not so scared I wouldn't take a step towards my best friend.' But the more he tried to figure it out, the more the answer seemed to elude him.

"…found him." A familiar voice spoke, relief in their voice. Brown eyes turned to the speaker-the same person he had been thinking about.

"Souji? What are you doing out here? And in the rain?" he asked.

The silver haired teen frowned. "I'd like to ask the same of you." He said coolly. "Your disappearing act scared everyone to death-we thought the killer got you."

"I..wanted some time on my own…" Yosuke said. "There's something that's been bugging me for awhile, but I don't even know what it is."

Souji walked over and stood next to his best friend. "So why did you come here instead of going home? Thinking is better when you're not getting rained on-at least that's what I think."

"Actually, I don't know why I came here." The brunette leaned forward. "…I hated this place when I first came to Inaba. You can tell how small the town is from here. But looking at it now…it's a nice town." He smiled sadly.

"Are you still sad about Saki-senpai?" Souji asked quietly.

"Kind of..." Yosuke admitted. "I want to tell Saki-Senpai something-that what's important…isn't who you are." He turned his gaze back to Inaba. "This town I hated so much? Now, I love it. There's still nothing here, but I have my family and friends…" he paused for a moment. "…and you."

Souji's gray eyes widened slightly and he gripped the fence for a moment before relaxing. The brunette wondered about this while he continued. "The important things are never far off…they're all around you." His face heated with embarrassment.

His partner was quiet, wordlessly telling him to go on. This reminded Yosuke of one time a teacher was talking about how genders communicated in different ways. When it came to problems, guys tried to solve them while girls just wanted someone to listen. Yet the fact that he was doing the latter didn't bother him right now.

"I always wanted to be 'special.' I thought my life'd finally have meaning if I was 'special' to someone." He looked down. "But I didn't really need it…It's not what you have or what you can do. Just being born, living your life…Before you know it, you're already special to someone."

"That's true." Souji agreed, encouraging him.

Yosuke smiled. "Yeah…Like you…You're special to me, you know?" As soon as he finished saying this, he realized how much it could be taken in a different way. 'Why did I say something like that?' he wondered. 'Damn…I hope he doesn't get the wrong idea.'

He started heading down the hill. "Anyways, I'd better get back to my place." His voice was shaky. "I've been out long enough in the rain."

Souji walked down with him. "True…you'd better get home before you catch a cold." He commented.

They walked down together in silence.

**&**

Evening

Yosuke was lying on the futon, staring blankly at the ceiling. While he and Souji had walked home, he had taken the time to sort out his feelings.

He already knew that he came to look forward to his time with Souji-whether it be having lunch or hanging out somewhere. And whenever he needed to get something off his chest, the first person he'd think of was his partner.

But until today, he had just assumed it was because Souji had seen the worst part of him and didn't push him away. Something like that definitely helped someone trust another person more than anyone else, he reasoned.

Now that he was thinking about it, however, while they were in Naoto's dungeon a Shadow had knocked Souji down and would've finished him off if Yosuke hadn't taken the hit. Thankfully it was a wind attack, so he was able to withstand it a bit. But when Souji had later chastised him for his recklessness, he looked extremely relieved.

'Rise-chan did mention that he was keeping an eye on me whenever we were fighting.' He recalled. And at the same time…he didn't want anything bad to happen to his partner. 'That's because we're friends, of course!' he reminded himself angrily.

And he felt warm inside when Souji had hugged him.

'…That's not something just for friends.' That thought was all it took-now he was starting to think of what he really felt about the silver haired teen. His heart was starting to speed up-he vaguely remembered it did this before when he asked Souji to help him out at Junes. "Do I…really have those feelings for him?" he asked out loud this time.

The fact he didn't feel disgusted was probably another sign that he may have strong feelings for his best friend. But he had to make sure first…

Brown eyes closed as he visualized Souji and him together-holding hands while they walked. The scene became more intimate as it went on. Instead of holding hands, they were embracing and drawing closer for a-

He opened his eyes.

Not once in the entire scene did Yosuke feel like stopping. He actually felt…

"I really do like him that way." He murmured aloud. "But…if I tell him…" he shook his head. "I can't risk it. It's not worth what we have right now."

**&**

Meanwhile

Souji arrived home to the usual "welcome home" from Nanako and a more unusual guest. Granted, Toru Adachi-Dojima's partner-wasn't exactly odd save for his obsession with cabbage, but he wasn't often seen around the Dojima residence.

The disheveled male looked up in surprise. "Oh, it's you Souji." He commented. "Dojima-san wanted me over for dinner after solving the recent case."

"Case?" Souji asked. Besides the murders, he couldn't think of anything else the police would have their hands full with. And since they thought that Mitsuo Kubo was the killer, they wouldn't bother with the murders anymore.

"Well, the reporters are going to get the story out later. Apparently the guy who vandalized part of the Junes electronics department was messing up more than some merchandise." Adachi explained. "He was going after some of the part-time employees and…I don't want to say anything else around Nanako-chan, but you probably get what I'm talking about."

"I do." Souji replied, not wanting to say anymore around his younger cousin either. "But why was he doing it? Didn't he hate Junes?"

"He does-but according to him, he was pissed off at how high schoolers acted. Like they didn't have a single care in the world. So he wanted to 'show them how harsh reality really was.' Goes to show there really are some twisted people in the world."

"Adachi! Quit running your mouth!" Dojima scolded as he walked into the living room. "How many times do I have to tell you?"

"Sorry, sir!" the younger detective apologized as his partner got dinner out of the fridge.

As they ate, Souji thought about what Adachi said and what had happened a week ago. 'So the stalker was probably the guy he was talking about.' He realized. 'Yosuke does fit the victim profile-on the outside, at least.' On the inside was a different story-he knew his friend was still suffering from the death of someone close to him, even if he didn't show it. And he was helping to track down the killer while saving people in another world. 'Good thing the shock kept him from moving too much-if he had gone after that sick bastard…' He didn't want to think about what could happen to the brunette, so he turned his thoughts to other things.

Tomorrow was going to be raining as well, so the fog would come the day after. Souji found it strange that the killer had not made a move to kidnap Yosuke. Normally, he would get the intended victim weeks before the rain came. 'Then again,' Souji thought. 'Yosuke's been out of his home most of the time. And according to Naoto, he went up to the victim's door and announced his presence in some way before taking them away.' Still, he couldn't let his guard down until the fog came and went.

**&**

"No…Stop…"

Teddie woke up, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "Who's there?" he whispered before realizing who the voice belonged to. "Yosuke?" he crept over to the teen's room, where he was tossing and turning.

"Don't go…"

The bear remembered something like this had happened the night before. So that meant Yosuke was dreaming about the girl he was trying to-

"Souji…Please…"

Teddie's ears perked up. 'Why is he dreaming about Sensei?' he wondered. 'I thought he said he was dreaming about a girl dating someone else. Unless Sensei is dating the girl…'

"Don't go…Souji…" Yosuke's voice was getting more desperate, like the outcome he didn't want was coming closer.

Now it was clear that he was definitely lying about last night. All this time, he had been having nightmares that had to do with Souji leaving. Noticing that the brunette seemed in pain, Teddie went over to his futon and tried to nudge him awake. "Wake up, Yosuke." He whispered. "You're having a nightmare."

The mumbling stopped, but now he was breathing hard. No matter what Teddie did, he wouldn't wake up. But he kept trying, not wanting to see one of his friends suffer.

Suddenly, Yosuke shot up with a gasp. There were tears gathering in his eyes and his breathing had yet to even out. He looked over at Teddie. "Ted, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"You were saying stuff in your sleep again." Teddie explained before remembering what he found out. "And you lied about what you were dreaming about last night, didn't you?"

"Huh? What makes you say that?" Yosuke asked.

"You were saying Sensei's name and asking him not to go." Teddie pointed out. "So there must be something going on between you and him."

Brown eyes glared at him. "There's nothing going on!" He snapped. "Dreams are meant to be abstract-they have different meanings from what happens in them. Now go back to sleep, Teddie!"

Teddie retreated from his room as fast as he could. When he returned to his own, he sighed. "I know for sure there's something going on between him and Sensei." He said out loud, as if confirming it. "But I can't do anything about it. So that means that Sensei's the only one who can help him." He thought for a bit before smiling. "I've got it! I'll tell Sensei what's going on tomorrow!"

**&**

Early Morning: October 24, 2011

"The rain doesn't seem to be letting up this morning." Yosuke murmured as he looked outside. "Tomorrow's probably going to be foggy. And there's no sign of the killer either." Despite how much things were looking up, he still grabbed his glasses and kunai and hid them in his pockets.

His nightmare from last night still haunted him. It had been the same as the one before, but his Shadow's words were different:

"_Even when you've finally figured it out, you're too terrified to even take a step towards him."_

"What AM I terrified of!?" Yosuke muttered angrily to himself. "My best friend was about to die! Why would I be so scared I wouldn't go to save him!?"

It didn't help that he now knew he had feelings for Souji either. On one hand, he wanted to tell the silver haired teen about it so badly and hope that he would feel the same. But on the other hand, he didn't want something like this to ruin their steady bond.

"I can't tell him." Yosuke told himself firmly. "It'll be better this way-He'll never know."

Picking up his bag and an umbrella, he went out the door and was about to step into the rain when the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He stopped, one hand reaching into his pocket for-

A hand with a cloth was pressed over his mouth and nose. The other arm went around his shoulders to restrain his movement. Alarm bells seemed to be ringing in his mind as he reached one hand up to pull off the one held over his mouth. His other hand went into his pocket to grab one of the kunai. His captor tugged him backwards, heading into the rain. Everything before him was darkening and his limbs were getting weaker as whatever drug was on the cloth went into his body. His struggling began to cease as he headed into unconsciousness.

'Senpai...Souji…'

Yosuke stopped struggling.

**&**

Writer's block is a bitch!

But I finally got this done, so huzzah!


	9. Desperation

**Title: **_"Last Days"_

**Author: **Agony-Howl

**Summary: **When the unthinkable happens, the Investigation team is on high alert. As they prepare for the killer to strike, Yosuke tries to figure out his feelings towards his partner and what he meant by "Today may be your last."

**Pairings: **Seta/Hana with Chi/Yuki on the sidelines. No flames, capiche!?

**Disclaimer: **Once I can think of another clever way to say I don't own Persona 4 or the song used in this fanfiction, I'll use it.

**Rating: **T for language-not something I'd expect for an M rated game.

**WARNING!!! **There will be shonen-ai and shojo-ai. So if you don't like it, then don't read or flame me!

**Before I begin…** Things are really heating up now!

BTW, the explanation about the stalker won't lead to anything later. I just felt that I should put it there to emphasize Souji's relief.

This chapter is going to have the entire rescue in it, so it may be very lengthy. I apologize for this, but please "bear" with me. (Hehehehe…I said "bear!")

Forward!

**&**

…_If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late  
__Could you say goodbye to yesterday?  
__Would you live each moment like your last?  
__Leave old pictures in the past?  
__Donate every dime you have…?_

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_**+0+**_**---------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**"Desperation"**----------------------------------------------------------------------**

Ever since he joined the Investigation team, Kanji didn't really like rain. When it came for several days, it meant fog. And fog meant "you'd better have saved the person in the TV by now, dammit."

But now, he was a bit relieved by it. So far, the killer hadn't succeeded kidnapping Yosuke and his time was almost up. It was ironic-normally a period of rainy days was the deadline for the group, but now it meant the killer's time was up.

"KANJI!" Teddie's frantic voice called. The first-year looked over at the soaked blonde, frowning.

"Teddie? The hell are you doing out here?" he asked.

"It's Yosuke-he's gone!" Teddie shouted, his blue eyes wide with panic. "I came downstairs and he wasn't there!"

"Umm…you sure he didn't just leave? School's today, y'know." Kanji reminded him.

"But the front door was left wide open!" Teddie exclaimed. "And his bag was left right by it!"

"He what!? Dammit! I'll let Senpai know!" Kanji changed his pace from a slow walk to a breaking run. It didn't take a genius or a detective to figure out that no one planning to leave the house would leave the door open. Or leave something important behind.

Spotting Souji up ahead, he called out to him. "Senpai! We got a problem!"

Souji stopped and waited for the younger male to catch up. "What's going on?" he asked, keeping his composure as always.

"Teddie said that Yosuke-senpai's missing!" Kanji had yet to calm down. "The front door was open and he didn't take his bag with him!"

Souji stopped walking and seemed to have taken a keen interest in the ground. "…You sure?" he asked quietly, the calmness of his voice slightly cracking.

"'Course I'm sure!" Kanji exclaimed. "Why the hell would I make something up!?"

His older classmate took a deep breath and let it out. He raised his head and continued forward. "We'll have to get him out, then." He said, gray eyes set. "Head over to Junes as soon as they let you out. And tell Rise and Naoto what happened so they can meet up with everyone else."

"I'm on it." Watching Souji walk ahead, Kanji realized something in the conversation had sounded off. As far as he could remember, the silver haired teen was always the one who kept a cool-level head even in the worst of situations until Naoto came-though he still remained the same.

But this time, he sounded panicked.

**&**

Yosuke groaned as he struggled to wake up. His eyes slowly opened, taking in the foggy surroundings. 'I must be inside the TV…' he thought, reaching into his pocket for his glasses. He pulled them out and put them on before taking a look around.

The brunette was sitting on a long, narrow steel bridge held up by numerous cables. It swayed as he stood up, prompting him to grab on to the rails. In front of him, the fog was unusually thick so even with his glasses on he couldn't see beyond it. Behind him, he could see where the bridge ended. 'Might as well try to get out of this place.' He decided, heading down the bridge towards the visible end.

As he approached it, Yosuke spotted a dark blob approaching. Frowning, he took a few cautious steps forward for a better look before reeling backwards.

It was a Shadow-and it had spotted him. Already it was coming towards him, arms frantically pulling its goopy body along the ground in what would be a comical fashion if this wasn't such a bad situation.

There was too much of a risk fighting on the bridge, so he started running down the opposite end, hoping nothing else waited for him on the other side.

**&**

Lunchtime

The morning classes had been torture for Souji. As much as he knew he had to keep going to school so that he wouldn't draw unwanted attention, he wanted nothing more than to rush over to Junes and go into the other world.

Relief went through him as lunch finally came. At least now he could find a way to burn off the adrenaline building up after he ate. He didn't really care about it raining outside-if he had to sit through his afternoon classes with this pent-up energy he'd go insane.

When he pulled out his lunch, however, he came dangerously close to breaking down. Before coming home last night, Nanako had gotten groceries. As he had always done, Souji used some of them to make lunch for himself and someone else.

He had been planning on eating with Yosuke.

"Souji-kun?"

Yukiko's voice brought him back to reality. She and Chie were standing next to each other, both with worried looks on their faces. "Are you alright…?" Chie asked cautiously. She probably knew what he would answer, but Souji knew she was doing her best to help him.

"Just restless…" he admitted. "We only have a day to get him out of there."

"I know what you mean." Chie sighed. "Too bad it's Monday-if it was Sunday we'd have a lot more time to get him out of there. But there's no use complaining."

"No-we just have to go after him as soon as we can." Souji said. Silence stretched between the three, until-

"You love him, don't you?"

Souji looked over at Yukiko before nodding. "Same for you and Chie, right?"

Both girls looked surprised, but managed to nod. "Anyways, we'll definitely get him out." Chie said. "Don't worry."

**&**

Pounding footsteps echoed on the bridge as Yosuke rushed to the other side. He didn't bother looking behind him to see if the Shadow was following him-he knew it was.

A loud grinding noise turned his attention to the side. Several of the cables were snapping, sending segments of the bridge falling into the fog. The grinding noise had come from the metal scraping against itself as it broke off. He picked up his pace even more.

The end of the bridge was now clear enough for him to see. Yosuke sprinted as fast as he could to the end just as the rest of the bridge collapsed. Looking back, he smiled with relief-the Shadow had still been on the bridge. 'Right now, I don't think I'll be able to fight anything.'

He collapsed onto the ground, taking in big gulps of air. What felt like hours went by before he finally stood up and looked around. 'It would really suck if I got stranded on something like an island.' Thankfully, that was not the case; as he saw an all-too familiar place.

"This place again…" Yosuke muttered, looking at what awaited him. It was the replicated Shopping District. A lot had happened here-it was the first place he and Souji really investigated and where they gained their Personas. It was also where Saki had died and where he met his Shadow. Like the rest of the group, he disliked coming to the place where his feelings were laid bare.

An idea came to him. "I still remembered how to get here from our meeting place." He said aloud. "So I should be able to head over there." Despite the current circumstances, he grinned. "At this rate, I'll be out in no time!"

He spoke too soon.

Passing by the replicated Liquor store, he noticed two shapes coming out of the black and red portal. 'Shadows…' Yosuke pulled out his kunai. 'But this time, I'm prepared!' He was not able to use lightning attacks like Kanji or Souji, but he was sure he was more than a match for the Slipping Habeleries coming out.

However, instead of forming into spherical shapes like they did last time, they took on more menacing forms. One of them became a black figure with what looked like hands forming a collar while the other turned into a red knight riding a floating horse.

This was going to be harder than he thought.

**&**

After School

The moment class was dismissed, Souji sat up from his seat and headed out of the school towards Junes. Chie and Yukiko did the same, as did the three first years. All of them knew they only had a day to rescue their team mate and every second counted.

Teddie was waiting for them in the food court. The group briefly met up before heading down into the electronics department and entering through the large television set.

"Just give me a few minutes. I'll find Yosuke-senpai." Rise told the rest of the group as she summoned Himiko, a female figure with a satellite dish for a face. As she scanned the world for the brunette's whereabouts, Souji leaned against the railing surrounding the platform they stood on. His gray eyes looked blankly into the foggy air.

He couldn't let it happen again.

"Senpai?"

Naoto's voice was soft, trying not to startle her older classmate. Souji turned to look at her concerned face. "Something wrong, Naoto?" he asked.

The detective shook her head. "I was actually going to ask you the same question." She admitted. "There's something bothering you, and it's not just the disappearance of a team mate."

It was times like this that Souji wished Naoto wasn't so observant. The outcome that had almost come nearly half a year ago haunted him-refusing to let him forget. It was something he didn't want to talk about.

But the look in Naoto's eyes told him that she would not take "no" for an answer. She would continue to push him for details until she knew for sure that her leader was fine. And right now, Souji didn't need that sort of conflict-not when they were getting ready for a rescue.

"There was something that happened when Yosuke and I were here." Souji told her. "You know that nearly everyone here had a Shadow the rest of us fought, right?"

"Yes, I remember it being mentioned more than once." Naoto confirmed. "And the same thing happened to Yosuke-san, correct?"

Souji nodded and, after Naoto promised not to ask about anything else about the encounter ("This is something private-if he never told us about it, it's because he doesn't want to talk about it."), he told her what happened that day until Rise announced that she located the teen they were talking about. The two of them were silent as they headed off in the direction where it had begun.

**&**

Yosuke jumped out of the way as the knight attempted to skewer him on its lance, thankful he had used Sukukaja earlier. He called his Persona, Jiraiya, and attempted to use Sonic Punch on the knight. The attack had no affect-the knight must have been immune to physical attacks.

An Agidyne spell courtesy of the magus fired at him next, nearly scorching his uniform. Dodging another attack from the knight, he cast Garudyne on it. The attack was more effective-the knight crumpled to the ground as the blast of wind hit it. 'So it's weak to wind. Good to know.' He prepared to cast another wind spell to take down the knight.

A shock ran through his body.

Falling to his knees, Yosuke cursed. The magus apparently didn't only use fire spells-it also used lightning too.

His weakness.

Another Ziodyne shot through his body, numbing his limbs and scrambling his thoughts. He watched in a daze as the knight got back up and headed towards him. It knew that the teen would no longer be able to keep dodging its attacks; it would be able to finish him off in one strike.

Everything seemed to slow down as the knight's horse reared up; the rider drawing its arm back, preparing the impale Yosuke on its lance. Brown eyes closed, accepting his fate.

'Sorry, Saki-senpai…You're going to see me a lot earlier than planned…' He breathed slowly. '…Souji…I'll see you later…'

**&**

It was a cruel irony. The group was rushing through the replicated Shopping District-the same place where the one they were rescuing had faced himself. But it was crueler on the silver haired boy leading them; it was almost as if he was being taunted by fate, her asking him "Will you be able to prevent it again?" He tightened his grip on his sword and picked up his speed-he had an idea where his best friend was.

If he had heard the shouts from the rest of the group, Souji ignored them. He ran as fast as he could until he spotted the Liquor Store up ahead. Sure enough, he spotted a familiar figure fighting off two Shadows.

The former collapsed to the ground as a bolt of lightning went through his body. Another bolt left him immobile, giving an opportunity to attack to the imposing knight figure. It glided in front of its victim, preparing to finish him off in one attack.

Images of what had happened when he was here last surfaced in his mind. They were a reminder of what would happen; a message telling him to hurry! Souji charged into the fight, shoving the dazed brunette out of the way. "Not this time!" he yelled. He was about to pull Yosuke away from the Shadows when he felt a sharp pain.

It took him five seconds to realize what happened.

His gaze slowly traveled down. The lance's sharp point was embedded in his chest. A sickly purple fluid dripped from the base into the wound.

The weapon was torn out of his body mercilessly, but he was too shocked to cry out in pain. His legs collapsed under his weight as he fell to the hard ground. His surroundings began to blur and darken, though he could make out familiar shapes moving towards him and Yosuke calling out his name.

Souji winced. 'Not until I tell him.'

**&**

"SOUJI!"

Yosuke ran over to his fallen partner, gently shaking his shoulders. "C'mon, stay awake!" he choked out. "Everyone else will be here soon. Stay awake, please!"

"Get…Away…" Souji murmured, struggling to stay up. "Shadows…are still…here…"

"And leave you? Hell no!" The brunette pulled his friend away from the Shadows as fast as he could, but they were catching up quickly. The magus growled as it prepared to unleash another spell. Yosuke shut his eyes and prepared for the impact.

It never came.

"Yosuke-senpai, what are you standing around for?"

Kanji stood in front of the older males, a bit frazzled from the Ziodyne but still ready to tear through the Shadows. "What are you waiting for!?" he growled. "You and Senpai get the hell outta here!" He called up Take-Mikazuchi and started fighting off the Shadows.

Yosuke pulled Souji away from the fight as the rest of the group approached. Upon seeing the silver haired teen's wounds, Yukiko immediately summoned Konohana Sakuya to heal him. Chie, Naoto, and Teddie joined Kanji in fighting the Shadows with their Personas while Rise provided back-up.

After three Diarahans, Souji's wounds weren't getting better. Yukiko frowned. "I don't get it…" she murmured. "One Diarahan should've been more than enough to heal him. So then why are his wounds still here?"

Her classmate vaguely remembered something purple on the knight's lance going into Souji's wounds. His eyes widened as he realized what it could be. "Yukiko, do you think he might be poisoned?" he asked.

"It could be…" Yukiko agreed. "But if it is, then we have a problem. No one went by the Shiroku store to restock on items, so we're out of Dokudami Tea. And none of my spells can heal poison."

Yosuke swore under his breath. "If Souji was alright, he'd be able to use a spell to get rid of it." The wounds began to open up again-Yukiko used another Diarahan to keep him alive. Slowly, gray eyes began to open up. "Stay with us, alright?" he spoke quietly to his partner. "We'll get out of this soon."

Souji was silent. Slowly, his eyes began to close again. "Souji, stay awake!" Yosuke panicked. "Just hold on! I'll go get something for the poison. Just hold on…" He got up, ready to run back to their world for a Dokudami Tea, when a hand caught his wrist.

"Don't…" Souji muttered. "…Not going to last long…"

"What are you saying…?"

"Yosuke…there's something I want to tell you…before I die…" Souji was doing his best to hold on. "…So I won't have any regrets…"

"Regrets…" Yosuke repeated quietly. 'So that was what he was trying to tell me.' He shook his head. "Don't tell me, Partner. Because that's going to be your reason to hold on." He slowly got up. "If you're so hung up on not having any regrets if you die, than you'll hold on if you haven't done everything you wanted, right? So don't say what's on your mind right now-then you can get out of here alive. I promise I will, too!"

"Yosuke-senpai! We need your help over here!" Rise shouted. "Wind works on the knight and the magus keeps healing it!"

"Alright! Teddie, can you help Yukiko heal Souji!?" He called out to the bear mascot. "He's poisoned, so your Amrita spell would be really useful!"

"Got it! You keep fighting and I'll help Sensei!" Teddie switched with Yosuke, immediately going over to their leader and giving what aid he could. The brunette prepared to call Jiraiya and finish the battle so that everyone could go home. 'I'll wait to tell you, Souji…What I just realized now. Just hold on.'

He jumped up and shattered the card to call his Persona. But instead of casting a Garudyne, Jiraiya hovered in the air; a blue glow surrounding the frog-like entity. As the rest of the group continued to fight the Shadows, a flash of bright light erupted.

A new figure now floated before Yosuke. The previously white body was now blue while the green ends were red. The grinning mouth chest piece was replaced by a frilled collar and sunglasses while the eyes perched on top of the head became a large red hair-do. A hoop surrounding the figure took the place of the blades on their hands. "What the…" He muttered, confused. Souji was the only one in the group who could use more than one Persona. So why did he have a different one…?

And yet…this new entity before him now didn't seem that different from Jiraiya. In fact, Yosuke was sure they were the same being. Just…changed. A name slowly floated in his mind, and as the magus Shadow turned its eyes on him he continued where he left off.

"Go! Susano-o!" He shouted. Susano-o's ring shot up into the air as the Garudyne hit its mark. The knight collapsed and was soon decimated by another Garudyne. Now there was just one Shadow left.

The magus roared in rage and threw a Ziodyne at Yosuke. Electricity surged through his body, but his legs didn't collapse under him like they would before. A Hamaon-courtesy of Sukuna Hikona-destroyed the magus before it could figure out why the spell that once rendered the brunette helpless wasn't doing so now.

As soon as the Shadow disappeared, the group rushed over to where their leader laid. Thankfully he was in much better shape thanks to Teddie and Yukiko; the poison was gone and the bleeding had gone away. Gray eyes were slowly opening, returning to the conscious world.

Brown eyes lit up warmly. "Good to see you're alright, Partner."

**&**

And that's where I'm ending so that I won't overwhelm you too much!

The last chapter and long awaited confession is coming up! But show enough love and I'll throw in an epilogue too. It will take place either on Christmas Eve or the night before Souji leaves-either way it will involve warm fluff between the couple here.

That's about it-until next time!


	10. Admittance

**Title: **_"Last Days"_

**Author: **Agony-Howl

**Summary: **When the unthinkable happens, the Investigation team is on high alert. As they prepare for the killer to strike, Yosuke tries to figure out his feelings towards his partner and what he meant by "Today may be your last."

**Pairings: **Seta/Hana with Chi/Yuki on the sidelines. Flame and the Soul Catchers will come!

**Disclaimer: **I'll sic the Soul Catchers on you if you steal this fanfic. However, they will turn on me if I claim ownership of Persona 4 and/or the song "If Today Was Your Last Day."

**Rating: **T for language-not something I'd expect for an M rated game.

**WARNING!!! **There will be shonen-ai and shojo-ai. So if you don't like it, then don't read or flame me!

**Before I begin…**Yay! Second to last chapter!

Mostly just loose ends being tied up and confessions finally made. Why did it take so long for me to update then, you ask? Two words-WRITER'S BLOCK. The bane of authors.

So while I waited for more ideas to come I played more Persona. I've finally beaten Kanji's dungeon for the second time and am now getting ready for Rise's. I've also been writing other Persona 4 fan fiction, mainly Seta/Hana. One day, I promise I'll write a story that has Chie and Yukiko taking center stage. Unfortunately, this day is not that day.

Anyways, now to stop rambling and let you keep reading!

**&**

_...And would you call those friends you never see?  
__Reminisce old memories?  
__Would you forgive your enemies?  
__And would you find that one you're dreaming of?  
__Swear up and down to God above  
__That you'd finally fall in love if today was your last day?_

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_**+0+**_**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------**"Admittance"**---------------------------------------------------------------------------**

It didn't take too long to return to their own world. Once they did, the group sat in their usual spot and got down to business.

"Do you remember what happened to you when you were kidnapped?" Naoto asked.

Yosuke rubbed his forehead as he recalled the event. "I was just heading to school when someone got me from behind." He explained. "Probably came out before he reached the front door, so he decided to take a chance since it would be the last chance he got." His gaze aimed to the ground. "I…couldn't see who it was…" he admitted.

Everyone looked disappointed-once again the identity of the killer eluded them. He kept his eyes down so he wouldn't have to look at their faces. Finally, Rise spoke up. "But we got Yosuke-Senpai out before the fog, right? Even though we don't have any new information, the killer's been thwarted again."

"That's true…" Yukiko agreed. "And we were even able to keep the killer from getting him until today. "

"Especially since there was midterms." Chie brought up. "I didn't need to worry that much about saving someone while they were going on."

"Thanks, Chie! You sure know how to make someone feel liked!" Yosuke shot at her, not feeling as bad now.

"Well, it's true!" Chie argued. "I don't want to be worrying about someone in the TV while trying to remember who the Sun King was!"

"As much as you two might want to continue arguing," Souji interrupted before the argument could escalate. "I feel I should remind both of you that it is getting late and that we have school tomorrow."

Yosuke groaned. "I forgot…I'm probably going to get an earful from my parents about my disappearance."

"Actually, since the door was left open and your bag was left behind, they might have figured out you were taken forcefully." Naoto explained. "So that should set your mind at ease."

"They've probably called the police by now…" Yukiko commented. "So you should probably get home soon, Yosuke-kun."

"Probably…" Yosuke agreed. He got up from his seat "Well, I'd better get going. See you all tomorrow."

Souji got up with him. "You're not heading home alone." He announced. "Not after spending that much time in there."

"I've been in there before!" The brunette protested. "I'll be fine."

"You've been in there longer than you usually are." Souji explained. "I'm taking you home whether you like it or not." He locked eyes with his best friend in a battle of wills, standing resolute.

Finally, Yosuke sighed in defeat. "Alright, but tomorrow I'm back to being part of the team and not the victim." He said.

The rest of the group said their good-byes and parted ways with the two friends, who made their way to the Hanamura house (Yosuke had asked Teddie to go ahead of them since he wanted to ask Souji something). Both were quiet while they walked, until Yosuke finally spoke up.

"Souji…why did you take the blow?"

Gray eyes turned to gaze at him. "You know the answer to that." Souji replied.

"No I don't!" Yosuke snapped. "If I did, I wouldn't have asked in the first place! I get you were trying to save my life, but I was asking why you risked yours!" He didn't care right now if his shouts woke the neighbors-he wanted to get his point across. "Why would you throw your life away for-" He was cut off as Souji pulled him into an embrace like he did by the river. Except this one was tighter, like if he let go his seething friend would be lost again. It was similar to one his mother gave him when he had been separated from her for nearly three hours nearly ten years ago-lost while they were getting groceries. She was in tears when she finally saw him, he recalled.

"Does this answer your question?" the silver-haired teen asked, his voice quiet.

"I-I told this is for girls, dumbass!" His friend snapped. As much as he wanted to stay like this longer, he was still angry at Souji for endangering his life. "And it doesn't answer my question!"

Silence stretched between them until Souji pulled away. "I'll tell you tomorrow." he promised. "Right now, you need to get home."

Yosuke would've stood where he was until he got answers, but realized Souji had a point. His parents were probably worried sick right now-especially his mother. "Alright. You'd better explain everything tomorrow, Partner."

"I will."

**&**

Evening

When Souji arrived home, he breathed a sigh of relief; Dojima was still working. He was not in the mood for his uncle's questioning, which he would no doubt recieve since it was one of his friends this time who had disappeared. He talked with Nanako for a short time before getting her to bed.

Tomorrow...he would have to tell Yosuke the truth tomorrow.

**&**

As soon as he went into his room, Yosuke made a bee-line to his futon. The events from earlier had left him exhausted and he would've gone to bed earlier if his mother hadn't bombarded him with questions. She meant well-Masami Hanamura was known to be worrisome especially when it came to her family.

Teddie was already fast asleep, he noticed as he pulled the blanket over his body and drifted off into sleep...

_...where he was surrounded by fog again. Souji stood a short distance away from him. 'This dream again?' he wondered, still unable to speak or move. 'No...I can't do this...I can't watch him die again...'_

_"Too bad. It looks like you're going to."_

_'You again...'_

_"He's going to die..." his Shadow said. "And you can't do a thing about it because you're still clinging to the memory of a dead girl."_

_At those words, it was as if everything became clear. Now he saw what was holding him back-someone's arm was around his chest pinning his arms to his sides while a hand was clamped over his mouth. He felt someone pressed up against his back; someone he last saw months ago taking a break from work._

_'S-Senpai!?' he started to struggle against her grip, but it only tightened in response._

_"Heh, maybe I should tell him why you couldn't save him before I kill him." the other Yosuke taunted. "Because you were too busy holding on to a memory."_

_'Clinging to a memory...' Souji had begun to walk into the fog. 'That's what I've been doing the whole time, isn't it? Trying to solve the case so I could avenge Senpai's death. And not just forget her or my life in Inaba, but that there would be nothing at the end once this was all over. I was so focused on what had happened I didn't want to know what would happen if I moved on. I was scared of trying to get on with my life after the case was finished.' Saki's grip on him began to lessen._

_'But I'm not afraid anymore. Because now I know what I'll do once we're done.' The older girl let go of him, disappearing. His Shadow looked oddly pleased before it too vanished. Without anything holding him back this time, Yosuke ran after his friend._

_"Souji, wait!" The silver haired teen stopped walking and turned to face the brunette._

_"Yosuke...you finally made it." Souji smiled. He gently grasped his friend's hand and tugged it forward. "Ready to keep going?"_

_"Lead the way, Partner."_

_If someone had been behind them, they would've seen the two of them disappearing into the fog. Maybe it would be unnerving to that person, but that was because they weren't with them._

**&**

After School: October 25, 2011

Souji was waiting at the Samegawa river when Yosuke arrived. The two of them sat down near the river's edge.

"You want to know why I'm so protective of you, right" Souji asked. When his friend nodded, he sighed. "Alright. It's because I screwed up and you were the one who almost paid for it."

"Screwed up? When?"

"When I was fighting your Shadow. You were unconcious so you didn't know." Souji closed his eyes, allowing himself to remember. "The fight wasn't too hard at first, but then I made a mistake. A huge one..."

**&**

_Souji swung the golf club so it hit mottled green skin hard. He then ran a foot back as the Shadow got back onto its feet. "Don't underestimate me!" it growled threateningly, although it was too late for that. The frog was unable to stand up while the figure attached to its back slumped. It was obvious that the battle would be in Souji's favor._

_Both the frog and the figure covered their eyes with their hands. Not that it would do them any good-the next attack would be enough to finish it off. At least, that was what Souji thought as he summoned Izanagi to Cleave through the weakened creature with his blade. However, he had underestimated the guard it put up. The blow it took wasn't strong enough to break through and finish it off. And after it guarded, it followed up with-_

_"Get out of my sight!" A blast of wind sent Souji sprawling on the ground, unable to defend himself when the Shadow swatted him out of the way. He tried to get up but the wind, the blow from the Shadow, and Izanagi's attack took a lot out of him._

_"S-Sensei! Wake up!" Teddie called out. It drew the Shadow's attention to where the mascot stood along with Yosuke, who was still unconcious. Unable to do anything else, Souji could only watch as it used what strength it had left after the battle to make its way to where they were. The mascot, as if able to tell its intentions, stood in front of the comatose teen._

_"Move out of the way, bear." The Shadow threatened. Realizing that Yosuke was coming closer and closer to another body to be found when the fog arrived, Souji reached in his pocket for one of the medicines he had been given before coming here. He didn't think he would need them until now._

_"N-No!" Teddie protested, though he was shaking in fear. "I w-won't move!" Despite the situation, Souji smiled at his odd companion's courage._

_"You're becoming a pain in the ass-move now!"_

_"I said no!"_

_"Then I'll move you!" A blast of wind was sent at Teddie, blowing him onto his back. His arms and legs wiggled frantically in the air like a bug on its back. The scene would've been comical had the situation not been so dire. The Shadow was now right in front of Yosuke. Souji thought it would use another wind attack or would simply stomp on his companion, but instead the frog crouched down so that the figure could reach one of its hands out and place it on his chest. Even from where he was, Souji could see something black spreading across the brunette's body and his face scrunched in pain._

_Adrenaline fueled him as he pulled out a medicine that vanished into the air as soon as he did, his injuries disappearing as well. There was no time to wonder why it happened; Souji called Izanagi to cast Zio on the Shadow and Cleave through it while he ran over to Yosuke._

_Dimly, he heard the creature screaming, cursing him as it fell. Yet all he could concentrate on was the state his companion was in. He brushed his hand against Yosuke's face and clothes, but couldn't find any trace of whatever was on him. Souji lifted him by the shoulders and gently shook him, but he wouldn't wake up. He was about to give up and prepare whatever he would have to say to Chie once he left when he saw a slight movement. Looking down, he smiled in relief-Yosuke's chest was rising and falling at a steady pace._

_Souji gently put him down, then went over to Teddie and pulled him to his feet. "Sorry for making you wait." he apologized, then noticed a movement in the corner of his eye. The Shadow had shrunk until it once again looked like a replica of Yosuke. It got up and stood waiting, the condescending sneer it wore before replaced with an impassive expression._

_"What it said before-about them being the same person-it's true, isn't it?" Souji asked quietly._

_"It is." Teddie answered solemnly. "Shadows are the repressed selves of people."_

_"Then I have a favor to ask of you, Teddie."_

_"What is it, Sensei?"_

_"Don't tell Yosuke what just happened."_

_The two of them-along with the other Yosuke-waited._

**&**

After Souji finished his story, Yosuke was silent. Then, he asked "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why didn't you or Teddie say anything?"

Souji rubbed his forehead. "Because I knew you were going to be reluctant to accept your Shadow even without knowing we nearly got killed by it." he explained. "And afterwards it became something that didn't need to be mentioned-scratch that, I didn't WANT to mention it. Because it reminded me too much that I nearly lost you. I didn't want you to get hurt like before, so I kept telling myself that I would make up for my mistake by protecting you. So when you were about to get killed, I did what I thought was the best way to save you."

Those words tugged at Yosuke's heart. Yet there was something else he needed to do.

"Souji, there's something I want to tell you too."

Souji looked up, a bit surprised by his best friend's words.

"Somewhere deep down...I didn't trust you." Yosuke shook his head. "No, it's more like...I was jealous of you. I thought you were like me. Coming from the city to the countryside I thought you'd be bored out of your mind here. But as soon as you came here, you called your Persona...Became our leader, gathered people...You're a hero. I like you for that, and I'm proud of you...But I guess I was a little jealous, too."

"I didn't know..." Souji murmured. "It never seemed like you were."

"I didn't know it either..." Yosuke admitted. "When I called you 'special,' I thought some more about it." he took a breath, deciding to only tell part of the truth instead of all of it. "I think out of everyone, I wanted to be acknowledged by you the most..." He got up and spread his feet apart. "So...Souji. I want you to hit me!"

Souji got on his feet, eyes wide at the odd request. "Wait-What did you just say!?"

"Just what I said! Give me a good one. Knock out all this crap inside me." Yosuke insisted. "I want to be equal with you. I want us to stand shoulder-to-shoulder. So c'mon..."

Souji looked into his partner's eyes. He looked reluctant to fight, but at the same time seemed to understand nothing was going to change his mind. "Then let's get 'equal'-you hit me, too." He spread his feet apart, ready.

"Huh...? B-But I have no reason to hit you..." Yosuke protested. He thought about it for awhile, and realized what Souji was saying may be true. "I got it now. If we're 'equal,' then...I guess you're right." The two of them stepped away from each other before getting into battle stances. "Okay, here I come! Take your best shot!"

They charged at each other, throwing punches left and right. Both of them ignored the pain and kept going until finally they collapsed on the ground in exhaustion.

"Ugh..." Yosuke groaned. "Your punches are brutal...I was seeing stars there for a second."

"I think you broke my nose." Souji reported. Sure enough, there was blood coming out of his nose and from a cut on his cheek when he had gotten scratched instead of punched.

"Heh, sorry..." The two of them watched the sky while they recovered. "But thanks, man...I don't know how to say it, but that sure beat words." For the first time in what seemed like ages, he felt peaceful. Remembering the cut on Souji's face, he reached into his pocket and pulled out what was supposed to be his gift to his friend. "Souji, could you sit up for a sec?"

"Sure. Why?" Once the silver haired teen was up, a band-aid was stuck over the cut. "...Thanks."

"No problem-I was going to give it to you anyways." Yosuke smiled while the two of them laid on the ground again. "Y'know...we should fight more often."

"Pass-I don't know about you, but I have enough fighting in the TV." Souji declined.

"I was only suggesting!" Yosuke laughed. He grew somber as he watched the clouds. "The sky's so high up. Is Saki-senpai watching us...? Is she smiling at us?" He closed his eyes, smiling gently. "Souji, about what you said about last days...I think I've got it figured out."

"Hm? What do you think?"

"It means treating each day like it would be the last. Doing things so you wouldn't regret not doing them." He looked up in the sky again. "I'll be doing it from now on. The days I spend here are the days Senpai never lived to see. So I'm going to live without deceiving myself."

"That's good to hear." Souji said. But although he was smiling, there was something in his eyes that said he was hurting.

"There's more." Souji looked up, surprised. "I want to tell you something so I won't have regrets." Yosuke took a breath before continuing. 'Here goes...'

"The past two weeks, I've been thinking about different things. And one that kept coming up was that I felt weird around you. In a good way!" He quickly added. "But it was something I felt around Senpai...Like I didn't want to leave you." He took another breath. "Part of me didn't want to accept it, because I was afraid of how things would change between us. I wasn't ready for what could happen whether it was good or bad. But now, I think I should tell you."

One last breath. "I think...I like you. I mean, REALLY like you. I mean...damn, how am supposed to say this?" Yosuke grappled for words. His eyes widened as he was pulled up and into an embrace. "...Souji?"

There was a warm smile on his partner's face, though there was a bit of amusement in his eyes. "Are you meaning to say you love me?" he asked.

"...yes..." the brunette admitted. As soon as he did, Souji started to lean towards him. He would've leaned away if there hadn't been a hand pulling his chin forward.

The moment their lips met, he could almost see the sparks flying. There was hardly anything he wouldn't give just for this moment to last.

What seemed like a split second passed before they pulled away. Souji was still smiling. "I was hoping to be the one to say I loved you, but I won't complain." he said.

"Wait! You liked...loved...me too!? For how long!?"

"I think a couple of months."

"And you didn't say anything!?"

"I didn't quite figure it out until the time you appeared on the Midnight Channel. Not exactly the best time for confessions."

"Oh...Yeah, probably not."

Souji looked up in the sky where the sun was setting. "We spent a long time out here." he commented. "Better get home soon. See you tomorrow?"

Yosuke smiled. "You can count on it."

**&**

Kinda an awkward ending to the story, but I couldn't think of anything better!

SO! *Apologizes a thousand times* I'd type it all out, but you'd skip over it anyways. To make up for the huge wait and the grief my computer put you all through, I'm going to write an epilogue to the story. It will include both pairings-Seta/Hana and Chi/Yuki-and will take place on Christmas Eve.

Also, a friend of mine is having a birthday in a few months and I want to write a story for her. She is a Seta/Hana fan girl, so that's going to be the main pairing. However, I have two ideas and I don't know which one to use-I want to save the other one for another friend whoes birthday will be in six months.

So, I'm going to let you-the readers-decide which story to read. Both my friends have insisted that will be fine with either story and asked me to ask all of you. Here are your options:

Option A: One-shot, songfic, a bit angsty at first but sweet. Will contain an OC.  
Option B: Multi-chapter, suspenseful, pretty dark and has TINY lemons. Will contain S!Souji.

Both stories take place after the events in December and, instead of Souji, Yosuke will be the one pining.

I'll be putting up a poll later, so vote there to decide.

And since it's a school night, I'll see you later!


	11. Epilogue: Still

**Title: **_"Last Days"_

**Author: **Agony-Howl

**Summary: **When the unthinkable happens, the Investigation team is on high alert. As they prepare for the killer to strike again, Yosuke tries to make sense of what he's feeling towards his partner and something he said.

**Pairings: **SetaHana, with Chi/Yuki on the side. If you've gotten this far, the only reason you should complain about it is if I do a terrible job.

**Disclaimer: **You would be able to date guys if I owned Persona 4.

**Rating: **T-oddly tame for a story based on an "M" rated game.

**WARNING!!! **If you didn't read the pairings, this story contains shonen-ai and shojo-ai. Also, there may or may not be possible spoilers depending on where you are in the game. (This chapter has spoilers for the "good" ending, so stop if you don't know what will happen.)

**Before I begin…** WOOT! Last chapter!

Let's see...I'd like to thank my friends for all the support they gave me when I was writhing on the ground suffering from writer's block, my Dad for helping me whenever my computer acted up and I acted like it was the end of the world, my Mom for being tolerant enough to let me keep writing, my big bro for helping me with the romance scenes, and finally-to all you readers out there, whether or not you reviewed, favorited, or put this story on alert. It was thanks to you I was able to keep going even when numerous obstacles came up.

And so, as my own thank you, here is a special epilogue and story notes for all you crazy people. I say crazy because you read through this entire story.

Enjoy!

_---------------------------------------------------------------------------__**+0+**__------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_--------------------------------------------------------------------__"Epilogue: Still"__--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Two Months Later: December 24, 2011

It had been a week since the killer had been caught. Despite the shock of Nanako's kidnapping and near-death, the team had managed to keep from taking the easy way and persisted in their efforts to find the true culprit. His identity came as a surprise-Toru Adachi had been the one to throw Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi into the TV, then convinced Taro Namatame to throw Yukiko Amagi, Kanji Tatsumi, Rise Kujikawa, Naoto Shirogane, Yosuke Hanamura, and Nanako Dojima into it. Namatame, who had made the same connection between the Midnight Channel and the murders and had the same power as the group, had believed the TV was the ideal place to hide a would-be victim from a killer. Since all the people he threw in were saved by the group, this further convinced him.

Once they discovered who was the culprit, the group pressed on more when warned of Inaba's fate at the end of the year. They used every ounce of strength they had to fight him and a mysterious entity named Ame-no Sagiri. The aforementioned entity was apparently the cause of the fog entering Inaba, and at its defeat it cleared up.

With nothing to do but wait for Adachi to be convicted and for Nanako to recover, things were still far from the way they used to be. The case had brought eight strangers together and had formed a bond among them that could never be broken. And in the midst of it, there was also intimacy between four of them.

After the fight Chie, Yukiko, Souji, and Yosuke told the group about their more intimate relationships. Rise, who knew about Yukiko and Chie, was very accepting of the news as was Naoto. Kanji was fine with it, although he made it clear that Yosuke owed him for all the comments he made about the younger male's sexuality. Teddie was a bit confused by it, but decided as long as his Sensei was happy then he was happy with it too.

Christmas Eve had arrived; it was time for some well-deserved rest.

**_&_**

"Did you make this?" Chie asked, staring at the little white cake sitting on the table. She and Yukiko were at her house this night, sitting at opposite ends of the table. Her parents were out tonight, knowing their daughter was having someone over ("We don't want to get in the way. Have fun, but do be careful!").

"No, I bought it..." Yukiko looked away. "I tried to make one, but it didn't turn out too well. So finally my mother handed me the cake before pushing me out of the house." She smiled a little at the memory. "She probably knew I was spending Christmas Eve with someone."

Chie began to cut the cake. "Well, whatever the case we can't let it go to waste!" She handed Yukiko a piece. "Hope you still aren't on a diet."

Yukiko shook her head, taking the slice. "With all the running around we did in the other world, I don't think I'll have to worry about my weight too much." she commented.

Chie giggled. "If you're still worried about your weight, maybe you should train with me." she suggested playfully.

"It sounds like a good idea-but my parents wouldn't be too happy if I came home with bruises." Yukiko pointed out.

"True-I don't want to give them a reason to not let you see me anymore." Chie sighed. Thinking of something to say, she brightened. "Oh! Speaking of coming home, Souji-kun mentioned that Nanako-Chan was going to be released from the hospital for Christmas!"

"She is? We should bake a cake for her!"

"If the guys will let us-Yosuke will probably say something like 'You'll send her back to the hospital!' Sheesh, I've been improving! ...A little.." Chie trailed off. She had been practicing the past week, but so far everything she made had been-at best-unpleasant. At worst, it was simply unedible.

Yukiko suddenly burst into her trademark laughing fit. "Like-like the omlet?" she managed to get out. "It was-was awful!"

Chie pouted. "Well at least it was better than Rise-chan's! Remember? You passed out after taking a bite! Besides, you should improve your own cooking before you criticize mine!"

"S-Sorry, I can't stop laugh-" Yukiko was unable to finish. "Oh! My stomach!"

Knowing her girlfriend, Chie waited until she was done laughing.

"By the way, Chie." Yukiko said. "I told my parents I was staying over with you, so..."

"Ah! Alright, I'll get a place ready for you..." Chie was about to get up when Yukiko stopped her.

"Umm...actually, I was thinking...do you want to..." she paused. "Nothing like that, but..."

"You mean...sleep together?" Chie asked.

"Yes...but just that." Yukiko took a deep breath-she finally said it.

The short-haired girl smiled. "Alright. But you know the futon's not going to be big enough."

"I know..." Yukiko smiled.

**_&_**

Meanwhile

Souji opened the door to let the newcomer in. Yosuke, still shivering a bit from the cold stepped gratefully into the house. He was carrying a white box with him. Brown met gray. "Hey..." Yosuke greeted his friend, a bit uncomfortable.

After Nanako's kidnapping, the two of them didn't have much time to go out like they used to. And when she nearly died a gap seemed to have formed between them. For what seemed to be the first time in a long while, they had fought. Yosuke had wanted to throw Namatame in the TV for what he did while Souji, while a part of him wanted the same, realized that there were pieces that made no sense. The two had argued about it until Souji yelled at Yosuke to calm down.

Thankfully they were able to realize that there was another killer, but ever since that arguement they hadn't spent time together as they did when they confessed. When Souji revealed their relationship to the group, it was the only hint to Yosuke that they were still together. Yet even now he wasn't sure.

The two of them entered Souji's room without saying anything. The box was placed on the table and they sat on opposite sides. "Umm...sorry it couldn't be at my place." Yosuke spoke up. "But when we woke up this morning, there were..." he shook his head. "Nevermind. Not something you'd want to hear. Anyways, point is that my place isn't the best to meet at right now."

"You don't need to explain." Souji told him. "Besides, you brought the cake so we're even."

The brunette smiled. "True." He pulled the cake out of the box and started to serve it.

They ate in silence-or rather, Souji ate and Yosuke pushed parts of his share around the plate. When Souji had accepted his proposal to spend Christmas Eve together, he also mentioned there was something important he wanted to talk about with his friend. Friend, because the only important thing that came to the music-loving teen's mind was that he wanted to put an end to their relationship.

He pushed a stray strawberry to the edge of the plate. Honestly, Yosuke wouldn't blame Souji for wanting to break up. This was the first in a long time they spent time together. Counting the fight they had weeks ago, their relationship was anything but stable.

"Yosuke?"

"Hm?" He looked up. Souji looked at him, concerned.

"Cake is normally eaten-not demolished."

Yosuke looked down. His piece didn't even resemble a cake anymore-pieces were strewn randomly over the plate and the icing was spread all over. "Oh...sorry." he murmured.

Souji put his fork down. "Alright, what's wrong?"

Yosuke took a breath. Might as well get it over with. "About the important thing you wanted to talk about...do you want to break up?"

Grey eyes widened. "Break up?"

"I wouldn't blame you if you did." he was doing his best to keep his voice level, but he could still feel tears prickling in the corners of his eyes. "Ever since Nanako-chan was kidnapped we haven't done anything together until tonight. And I would've killed an innocent man if you didn't notice something was off. So I'll be fine whatever you choose." A lie. He waited for Souji's answer, keeping his gaze low.

There was a shifting sound as Souji got up, walked to the other side of the table, and sat down next to his boyfriend. "Do you want to break up?" he asked quietly.

"Like I said before, I'll be fine with whatever you decide."

"That wasn't the question. I asked if you wanted to."

A lump formed in Yosuke's throat. "No..." he croaked out, tears leaking out at last. He felt a pair of arms pull him into a warm embrace. Souji rubbed soothingly on his back while he quietly cried on his shoulder.

Lips brushed against his ear. "I'm not leaving you." Souji whispered. "Not for a long time."

They stayed in the embrace until Yosuke had calmed down. "The things that happened were out of our control. And I had a feeling that you were more worried about Nanako and later catching Adachi than our relationship, so I didn't think it was the right time to do anything." Souji explained. "As for Namatame, not everyone is able to keep calm-especially when someone close to them died."

"Then...what was the important thing you wanted to tell me?" Yosuke asked, confused.

"I wanted to apologize...for brushing you off the past few weeks." Souji confessed. "It was a cruel thing to do and I should've said something to you before."

"But...Dude, you were the one who figured I would be worried about Nanako-chan!" Yosuke pointed out. "So weren't you, too?"

Souji smiled wryly. "I was." he admitted. "And I wanted to bring Adachi to justice, too. But...it still doesn't excuse my actions."

"...Souji..." Yosuke allowed a small smile. "We really fail at communicating these sorts of things."

"We do." the silver haired teen said bluntly.

"That was quick!"

They laughed and chatted more comfortably for a few minutes until Yosuke spoke up again. "I guess I never really got over Senpai's death, huh?" he asked quietly. He hesitated to bring it up, figuring that it was something Souji wouldn't want to talk about.

"She was close to you-I don't think anyone can completely get over the death of someone they knew." Souji pointed out. "Nothing to be ashamed of."

"True..." Silence. "Hey, Souji. I just realized something."

"What is it?"

"You're leaving in March, right?"

Souji sighed. "Yeah...I am. We spent so much time on the case I completely forgot about it." He rested his head on Yosuke's shoulder. "We'll have to make the next few months really count. And I got to convince my parents to let me come back here every now and then."

"Right. Like its our last days. So..." The brunette trailed off. "Speaking of which, my mom wanted me to stay over at a friend's house since ours is still airing out-she doesn't want me getting sick. Anyways, what I'm asking is; could I stay over here?"

The silver haired teen smiled, pressing his lips against Yosuke's temple before answering. "Sure. My uncle won't mind."

**&**

Ryotaro Dojima was met with an odd sight when he went to check on his nephew.

Curled up on his futon was not one but two teenage boys. They were snuggled against each other, sharing warmth in the cold of winter. A closer inspection revealed, much to Dojima's relief, that they both still had their clothes on.

"Might as well let them sleep in." he muttered to himself, smiling. It was a holiday, so there was no need to wake them up. Besides, as long as Souji wasn't getting into trouble, he was fine with whatever he did in Inaba.

Dojima left the room, making sure not to let the two occupants wake up.

**&**

*Sighs* I can't really do romance unless their's a plot, so sorry if it was crappy.

BTW, I thought I should add a few notes about the symbolism used in this fanfic before leaving:

Fog-Naturally, it played a big part in P4, so I had it play a big part in the nightmares. In them, it represents the uncertainty of the future and how no one knows what's coming.

Souji-In the nightmares, Souji represented one of the possible futures. He kept disappearing into the fog to show that Yosuke had to make a choice before it was too late.

Saki-For a minor character, I was surprised by how much she affected the storyline by her death. If you think about it, if she didn't die the MC and Yosuke wouldn't have gone into the TV a second time-not to mention that her death was also a driving force behind Yosuke's determination. So in the nightmares, I had her represent the past. Because he kept focusing so much on what had happened, he wasn't able to move forward.

Shadow-If I was going to have a nightmare representing an inner struggle, then it became obvious to me that a Shadow might play a bigger part. BTW, it wasn't really S!Yosuke in the nightmare; it was Yosuke's sub-concious using the image of his Shadow. In the nightmares, his Shadow is just what it is-the part of him that doesn't want to move on. So he "kills" Souji in the nightmare so that he won't have to worry about his own future.

Bridge-I think a place only forms when you enter a specific TV the first time. So since Yosuke was thrown into a TV that wasn't at Junes, a place was created. I didn't want to use a dungeon since it would add too much of a panic, so I opted for a smaller area. The bridge represents his life-the area ahead of him is the future covered in fog while the area behind him is the past-clear and visible.

And that's about it.

Oh! The song I listened to for this chapter is "STILL" by Itou Kanako. Very beautiful!

Also, one of my friends suggested that-for the story requests-I should have a more detailed summary here for you to vote on. So here they are!

Option A: **"You Belong With Me"  
**_Based on the song by Taylor Swift. Souji is dating a new student at school. None of his friends think that she's good enough for him-especially one who has a huge crush on him. SoujiXYosuke, Implied SoujiXOC. One-shot SongFic._

Option B: **"Repetitive Mistakes"  
**_Despite the numerous times he's seen what happens when a person denies a part of themself, Souji has made the same mistake they did. And this time, it will be someone else who pays the price. SoujiXYosuke, S!SoujiXYosuke. Very small lemons._

Please vote on the poll so I can get writing. It will close after Halloween. Remember-the one that has the most votes will be written first.

Thank you, and I'll see you later!


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